


When The Sky Was Falling

by forest_rose



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Cap-Iron Man Big Bang 2013, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Warning: medical procedure (MRI scan), Warning: panic attacks, Warning: some bad language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2013-11-29
Packaged: 2018-01-02 23:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forest_rose/pseuds/forest_rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a routine mission goes wrong, Steve is caught in a magical trap.  He is left vulnerable, terrified of the world around him, and uncertain of his place in the Avengers and in the world.  This is the story of how his relationship with the team, and with Tony in particular, helps him to overcome his fears and search for a cure for the magical attack.</p><p>Thank you so much to Jen and Alan for being such fabulous betas!</p><p>This was written for the Cap-IM Big Bang challenge.  The fabulous artwork by sorellaerba is here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/1063028  Please leave her lots of lovely comments, she deserves them!</p>
            </blockquote>





	When The Sky Was Falling

‘Iron Man, cover me! I’ll take point.’

Captain America’s voice was clear and crisp in Tony’s earbud, and he didn’t hesitate, hovering off to the side of the building as his team leader ran for the door. Despite the frantic, garbled report via the SHIELD emergency line of mutant creatures emerging from the empty warehouse and attacking civilians, the area seemed oddly deserted. Still, Cap was apparently taking no chances; he slammed the door open with a well-placed kick, and continued running inside without breaking momentum. Tony put on a burst of speed from his repulsors, gliding through the door and landing beside him.

‘Anything?’

Steve was looking around, his eyes flashing in the semi-darkness. ‘Not that I can see. Let’s get the others in here; we’ll take a look around.’ He snapped a brief order into his comm device, and within minutes the team were assembled around him.

‘Well, this is fun,’ Clint remarked dryly. ‘No zombies?’

‘Let’s not be too quick to relax,’ Steve told him. ‘Take rear guard, Hawkeye. I’ll go ahead, see if there’s anything further in. Better stay close, team. Keep your eyes open; they could just be laying low. Everyone okay?’

A chorus of affirmatives, and Tony smiled to himself behind the faceplate. It was odd, really, how such a group of misfits had formed so quickly into a smoothly running team, but it seemed to work. It was Cap, really; there was something about the man that made even Tony happy to follow his orders. The others seemed to feel the same; they all had their own opinions and ways of working, but Cap brought them together and made them something more than a group of individuals. Tony stayed close behind him now, close enough to smell the fresh scent of Steve’s soap mingled with the leather of his suit. Thor and Bruce were just behind him, with Natasha and Clint barely visible in the shadows at the rear.

‘Hey, Cap, what’s that?’ Tony spoke just above a whisper, his voice in the armour slightly grating and metallic, as he raised a hand to point. A heavy metal door stood just slightly propped open, a faint yellow glow pulsing through the open gap.

‘Good call, Iron Man.’ Steve held up a hand to stop the team behind him, his voice barely above a whisper. ‘Careful, now. Let me go in first; we’ll surprise them. Everyone ready?’

A round of confirmation came from the assembled team, and Steve nodded once, setting his jaw and shifting his shield on his shoulder. He braced himself, then ran hard at the door, barging it with his shoulder. Tony was right behind him, repulsors at the ready, but he froze in the doorway as a small metal tube whirred to life inside the room, enveloping Steve in a sickly yellow beam. 

‘Get back!’ Tony yelled, throwing out an arm to stop the others from barrelling into the room, and then spun back to see Steve crumple to the floor as the light died and the machine fell silent. There was an unearthly stillness for a moment, and then everyone began to shout at once, pushing into the room. Steve was looking around him wildly, staring into shadows in the empty space, and then scrambled beneath a heavy wooden table, huddling beneath it and breathing in short, shallow gasps.

‘Hey, Cap, what are you doing down there?’ Clint’s tone was light as he pushed past Tony towards Steve. ‘Come on; get out of there, looks like we missed the bad guys. You’re okay, right?’

Steve didn’t answer, but Tony could see his eyes darting around the room, wide and terrified in the dim light. The heavy door slammed shut behind Natasha, and Steve startled, scrabbling back further into the corner. His face was pale, sweat shimmering on his forehead, and his breaths came in panicked gasps. Tony took two strides over to Clint, pulling him away roughly. 

‘Give him some space! Can’t you see he’s scared?’ Tony’s voice was harsh, he knew, but he recognised the symptoms of utter terror only too well. What had provoked this reaction in their unflappable Captain, he couldn’t imagine, but Clint’s forthright approach was not going to help him.

Tony crouched down a few feet from the table, only dimly aware of the rest of the team watching him in confused dismay. He kept his voice soft as he spoke, flipping up his helmet so Steve could see his face.

‘Hey, Steve, you’re okay. Take some deep breaths; you’re fine, nobody’s going to hurt you.’ Steve’s eyes fixed on his face, but his expression was still full of terror.

‘You know who I am, right?’ Tony went on softly. ‘You’re still with us?’

Steve swallowed hard, and then licked his lips, clearly struggling for words. ‘To… Tony,’ he managed at last.

‘That’s right; course you haven’t forgotten me, I’m unforgettable.’ Tony tried a smile, but Steve just watched him with wide, frightened eyes. Tony shifted a little, sitting back on his heels.

‘Mind if I join you under there? I’m just going to sit beside you, that’s all. That okay with you?’

Steve nodded wordlessly, his eyes fixed on Tony’s face.

‘Okay, give me a moment. JARVIS, let’s lose the armour.’ The suit unclipped itself around him, folding down into its compact case form, and Tony stepped out of it smoothly. He wedged himself in next to Steve, close enough that he could feel him shaking. Cautiously, he rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘Hey, now. What is it?’

Steve was silent for a beat, and then threw himself against Tony, clinging tightly to him and burying his head against his neck, shuddering with silent sobs. Tony froze for a moment, taken aback by Steve’s sudden vulnerability, but as Steve clung tighter he wrapped his arms around him, holding him close, rubbing small circles over his shoulder blades. ‘Hey, Cap, it’s okay. You’re okay, I’ve got you.’

Steve just shook his head, his face still hidden against Tony’s shoulder. Tony looked up helplessly at the others, who stood in a small, tight circle around them. Natasha was still scanning the room for danger, whilst Clint was staring at Steve in open shock. Thor had dropped to one knee, deep sorrow in his eyes as he watched his Captain sobbing openly, huddled and terrified in his teammate’s arms.  
Bruce looked on helplessly, giving a small shrug as Tony met his eyes in a silent plea for help.

‘I got nothing,’ Bruce said softly, shaking his head.

‘Bruce –’ Tony broke off, not really sure what he had intended to ask, but Bruce seemed to understand him anyway. He knelt down, a safe distance from Steve, not trying to touch him.

‘Steve? What can we do? Are you hurt?’

Steve shook his head against Tony’s shoulder. His voice, when he spoke at last, was so soft that Tony had to strain to hear him. ‘No – no, I’m not hurt. I just, I don’t know, I –’

He broke off, shuddering, and Tony carded his fingers reassuringly through his hair. ‘It’s okay; we’re all here with you. Take your time.’ He could see Bruce raising an eyebrow at his uncharacteristically gentle tone, but ignored him, holding Steve close until his breathing settled a little.

‘Are you seeing something we’re not?’ Bruce persisted gently. ‘Is there something here?’

Steve shook his head again. ‘No – no, nothing like that, I just – Tony, I’m so scared.’ He pulled away slightly to look into Tony’s face. His eyes were dark and haunted, his face pale and streaked with tears. ‘I don’t know what it is – I was fine, and then that ray hit me, and, I don’t know, I just, I just couldn’t –’

He broke off with a sob, and Tony pulled him close against his shoulder. Bruce reached out, gently resting a hand on his arm.

‘Okay, Steve. It’s okay. That ray has done something to you; that much is obvious. We just need to find out what it was, and we’ll get all this sorted out. I know you’re scared, but there’s no danger right now, I promise. You stay there with Tony; the rest of us can handle this.’ Bruce’s tone was calm and soothing, clearly practiced over the years with countless frightened, sick patients. It seemed to work on Steve, in any case; after a few moments he nodded, leaning into Tony’s shoulder with a shaky sigh. 

‘Be careful, Bruce,’ Tony told him softly. ‘Don’t touch that thing. We don’t know what it does, or –’ _Or how long it will last,_ he wanted to say, but he broke off before finishing the sentence, aware of Steve trembling with fear in his arms. Bruce seemed to understand, in any case; he nodded grimly, casting a glance over his shoulder at the machine.

‘We’ll take care. And we need to contact SHIELD; we’re going to need some help.’ He nodded significantly at the still-closed door.

‘Locked?’ Tony mouthed silently, and Bruce nodded again. ‘We’re on it. You stay put.’

Tony sighed; he hated to be away from the action when his teammates were putting themselves in danger, but Bruce was right. Steve needed him right now, more than the others needed his help. For some reason, Steve seemed to feel safe with him, and if he could do anything to ease his friend's obvious pain, he would.

'Hey, Cap, you okay there?' He spoke softly, but Steve startled anyway, his breathing quickening, and Tony squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. 'Hey. Take it easy; it's only me.'

Steve shifted his weight, leaning into Tony, his face hidden in his shoulder so that Tony could barely hear his words when he spoke.

'I don't know. I don't know what's happening to me, Tony. I don't know what to do.'

'You don't have to do anything,' Tony told him firmly. 'You just stay with me, let Bruce do some of the technical stuff for a change. We'll work this out, you'll be okay.'

‘Okay.’ Steve’s voice was very quiet, and Tony felt him sigh against his shoulder, a shaky exhalation of breath. Impulsively, he leaned down and brushed his lips over Steve’s soft hair, and Steve turned his head to nestle closer against Tony's neck. Tony sat quietly beside him, listening to the murmur of voices of their teammates as they worked on the machine. Bruce seemed to have the situation in hand; he was doing most of the talking, unusually for him, although Tony couldn't make out what he was saying. At last, there was a triumphant 'Ha!' from Clint, accompanied by a distinct crunch. Steve startled at the sound, but settled quickly at the pressure of Tony's hand on his shoulder.

'Hey, Tony, Steve.' Natasha spoke softly from a little distance away, her voice very gentle, and Tony smiled at her, grateful for her caution.

'Hey, Tasha. That sounded promising.'

She nodded. 'That contraption won't be doing any more damage. Don't worry, we've kept it mostly intact so you and Bruce can study it, but I think that was an essential component that Thor just squashed. And I've spoken to Fury; he's on his way with the Quinjet. We'll have you home soon, Steve. You're going to be fine, okay?'

Steve pulled away from Tony enough to look at Natasha and give her an attempt at a smile. 'Sure. Thanks, Tasha.' There was only the hint of a tremor in his voice now, and his breathing had steadied a little.

'I just came over to warn you, there's going to be a small explosion in a couple of minutes. Nothing to worry about, we're just doing some work on the door.' Natasha gave Tony a pointed look, and he nodded. He had rarely met a lock that Natasha's little packets of explosives couldn't get through.

'Okay,' Steve gave her another smile. 'Thanks for the warning. And, for everything. All of you.'

Natasha smiled, then got to her feet and walked away.

'Hey, there.' Tony squeezed Steve's shoulder. 'You doing better?'

'A bit.' Steve's voice was steadier now. 'Thanks, Tony. I'm sorry to be such a mess, I don't know what's wrong with me.'

'Supervillains and their damn fool attempts at technomancy, that's what,' Tony told him firmly. 'You don't need to be sorry; it could have been any of us. Once we get the thing home, Bruce and I will work out what it does and reverse it, assuming it even lasts that long. You seem to be doing a pretty good job of fighting it all on your own, though. Should have known they couldn't keep you down for long.'

Steve huffed an attempt at a laugh, cut off by the sound of a sudden blast from the doorway. He gasped in shock, despite Natasha's warning, and Tony half-turned to face him, one hand curled around the nape of his neck.

'Relax. It's only Tasha, remember? I've got you; nothing to worry about. And, hey, look, they've got the door open.'

Steve blinked hard and nodded with a shaky smile. He took a breath to speak, but as the door swung open Fury strode into the room like a thunderstorm, cutting off whatever Steve had been about to say with a shout.

'The hell is going on in here? I'm getting reports of mutant attacks, then there's no mutants, then the team is trapped in a damn warehouse, and Cap's out of action despite there being _nothing at all to fight_ , and - what the hell are you doing under there, Rogers?' He bent down, peering intently under the table, and Steve shrank back against Tony. Tony wrapped a protective arm around him, shifting around to shield him.

'Get out of his face, Fury,' he snapped. 'He doesn't need you yelling at him.'

'Yelling? I'll show you -'

'Director, a word?' Natasha laid a hand on Fury's arm, stopping him as he began to stride forward. He subsided with a last glare at Tony, and Tony felt Steve relax slightly in his arms.

'Don't worry about him,' Tony said softly. 'He's an asshole, but he won't hurt you. And I'm not leaving you, okay?'

'Okay.' Steve's voice was so trusting that Tony had to swallow hard, unable to speak for a moment. He couldn't remember having anyone ever trust him so completely, and Steve's unwavering faith in him had taken him entirely by surprise. It had awoken a deep protective instinct in him, too; he was always concerned with his friends' safety, but this desire to shield Steve from anything that might threaten him was new and almost overwhelming. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, resting his cheek on the top of Steve's head for a moment.

Fury's footsteps were slower, more cautious, as he approached the table again. Tony looked up, ready to defend Steve, but Fury knelt down quietly, looking hesitant, almost nervous.

'All right, Rogers. Widow has explained the situation; I understand. I'm going to have to ask you to come out from under there. We going to have a problem with that?'

Steve swallowed and sat up a little straighter. 'No, sir. No problem.'

'Good man. Come on, then.' Fury held out a hand, apparently oblivious to the raised eyebrows and not-so-subtle glances of the team behind him. Tony hid a smile. Apparently the fearsome Director could be gentle, when it suited him.

Hesitantly, Steve reached out and took his hand, allowing Fury to help him to his feet. Tony shifted his position, wincing as the blood flowed back into his numb legs. Fury peered down, his lips twitching in amusement. 'You joining us, Stark?'

'Give me a minute. I don't have super-soldier circulation,' Tony grumbled. He unfolded himself out from under the table, stretching his legs, and smiled as Steve immediately stood beside him, so close that their hands were almost touching. He reached across the last couple of inches and took Steve's hand, rubbing little circles over the back of his hand with his thumb.

'All right, team. Let's get you back to SHIELD headquarters. And we'll take that thing with us.' Fury gestured at the machine in the corner. 'We'll find out who's messing with your head, Rogers. And when we do, they'll wish they'd never heard of the Avengers.'

***

It had been three days since the incident, and Tony was no closer to finding any answers in the inner workings of the small metal box. He had stripped it down to bare wires, examining each connection in minute detail, but all he could see was basic electronics, no special qualities, not even a light source from which the yellow beam he knew he had seen could have emitted.

The lab door slid open with a soft _swoosh_ , and Tony threw down his screwdriver in disgust as he turned to face Bruce.

'Nothing?' Bruce asked with a sympathetic quirk of his eyebrow.

'Nothing.' Tony sighed heavily. 'It's just a simple circuit, tripped by a sensor. There's nothing in here that could have done that to him. It doesn't even _do_ anything.'

'At least Cap's doing better,' Bruce told him with a smile. 'I guess the effect's wearing off, whatever it was. He seems to have got a handle on it.'

'That's the main thing, I guess. I just wish I could get hold of whoever did that to him. I want to know how, and why, and I want -'

'You want to avenge him. I know; I get it. But you'll do him more good upstairs with us, spending some time with him. He's still pretty withdrawn; I think he's embarrassed, thinks we think less of him because he showed weakness. He hasn't said anything, but you know how he is.'

'Yeah, I do.' Tony ran a hand through his hair, leaving it tousled and sticking out at odd angles. 'Come on, then. Movie night?'

'Sounds good.' Bruce smiled, and Tony wiped his hands over his jeans, walking towards the door.

'Okay. But I get to pick.'

***

'I'll just get some chips, then I'll come and join you,' Tony told Bruce as they stepped out of the elevator. 'Want anything?'

'No, I'm good. Hurry up, or we'll pick without you,' Bruce teased, and Tony grinned. He pushed open the door to the kitchen, and then stopped as he saw Steve, his back to the door, pouring lemonade into a glass.

'Hey, Cap,' Tony said softly. He had intended his tone to be gentle, but Steve started violently and spun to face him, losing his grip on his glass. It crashed to the floor, lemonade spilling over the tiles, and Steve flattened himself against the kitchen counter, eyes wide, breathing in harsh gasps.

'Hey - hey, Steve, it's okay.' Tony took a tentative step forward, holding out his hand. 'I didn't mean to startle you; I'm sorry. You okay?'

'Damn it.' Steve's voice was shaky, and he rubbed a hand roughly over his face. 'I'm so sorry, Tony, I'm such a damn idiot. I'll clear it up -'

'No, you won't,' Tony told him firmly. 'You'll go and sit down, and I'll bring you another glass. The kitchen bots will sort this out, don't worry. No big deal, right?' He rested his hand lightly on Steve's arm, feeling the tremors running through his body. 'Still a bit jumpy, huh?'

Steve sighed. 'I guess.' He seemed about to say more, and then turned away, shaking his head. Tony squeezed his arm reassuringly.

'Hey, it could have been worse. It could have been Bruce, and then we'd have a serious, big green problem on our hands. A little lemonade on the floor is nothing we can't handle. Now, go on. Save me a spot on the sofa, and don't let Thor pick _The Lion King_ again. You know he always cries.'

Steve managed a shaky smile. 'Thanks, Tony.'

'No problem. Go on, I'll be in in a second.'

Steve nodded and left the room, and Tony pulled a new glass out of the cupboard, pouring a fresh glass of lemonade, speaking quietly as he did so.

'Hey, JARVIS, can you clear up this mess?'

'Of course, sir.' Jarvis' cool tone sounded from a speaker in the ceiling, and a small robot buzzed out of a cupboard, sweeping and mopping around Tony's feet.

'Thanks, J. And - you'll keep an eye on Steve, right?'

'As always, sir.'

'Thanks.' Tony poured a generous helping of chips into a bowl, then scooped it up along with the glass and walked through to the lounge area, settling himself onto the sofa beside Steve and handing him the glass.

'What shall we have, then? I'm in the mood for a classic. Wizard of Oz, anyone?'

Bruce threw him a quizzical look, and Tony shook his head minutely. Across the room, Thor brightened up.

'Ah, the adventures of the Lady Dorothy and her companions! An excellent choice, my friend.' He relaxed back in his armchair, feet up on the coffee table; Tony had long since given up trying to break him of that habit.

'Tony, you don't have to -' Steve began, but Tony hushed him.

'You don't want to disappoint Thor, do you? Anyway, nothing wrong with Oz. You can't argue with two Oscars. Come on, settle down. Have a chip. JARVIS, run the movie, would you?'

'Gladly, sir.' The lights dimmed at JARVIS' words as the opening credits began to roll on the screen, and Tony smiled as Steve began to relax, leaning slightly against his shoulder. Maybe he wasn't all better yet, but he was getting there.

***

 

'Avengers, assemble!' The rallying cry rang out over every speaker in the Tower, and Tony dropped his fibre-optic probe onto the workbench and took the stairs two at a time, not bothering with the elevator.

'J, get the Mark Seven ready to deploy,' he snapped.

'Done, sir,' Jarvis replied, calm as ever. Tony nodded in wordless thanks as he slammed through the door into the communal floor. Clint, Thor and Natasha were there already, gathered grimly around the TV set.

'What have we got?' Tony asked, crossing the room to stand beside them.

'Fucking DoomBots again,' Clint spat, gesturing at the TV. 'Seven of them, right in the middle of Queens.'

'There are civilians still in there,' Natasha put in, her expression dark. 'SHIELD got most of them out before the bots hit; they got half an hour warning, but one of the evacuation parties panicked and scattered when the bots landed. We figure there are fifty or so within the cordon.'

'Why the fuck didn't they call us half an hour ago?' Tony burst out as Bruce joined the group, slightly out of breath.

'God only knows. Or, Fury only, which is much the same thing at SHIELD,' Clint told him with a disgusted expression. 'Bruce, I think we're going to need the big guy today. Seven DoomBots.'

'Damn it.' Bruce stepped closer to the TV, watching the action. 'How far have they got?'

'Covering about half a mile, it looks like.' Clint told him. 'It's manageable, if we contain it now.'

'We'd better move, then,' came a voice from behind Tony, and he turned to see Steve in full costume, his shield slung on his shoulder. 'What are we waiting for?'

'Cap? You sure you're up for this?' Tony looked at him quizzically. 

'Sure.' Steve set his jaw in a familiar stubborn expression. 'This is going to need the whole team.'

'If you're not ready -' Natasha put in, but Steve cut her off.

'I am. Everyone ready?'

'Ready as we'll ever be,' Tony told him.

'Then let's go. Avengers - assemble!' Steve's voice rang out strong and clear, and the team fell in behind him. After all, they had a job to do.

 

***

 

Seven DoomBots were a challenge, but not too much to handle. The challenge had been keeping the terrified civilians safe whilst battling the ruthless robots, and Tony had sustained a few grazes to the armour and one fairly significant dent in his helmet whilst holding off a bot long enough for a handful of office workers to run to safety. There were only four left now, though, and Hulk had one of those cornered in a junkyard, where he was roaring and smashing to his heart's content. Tony blasted the bot he was fighting with a repulsor beam, and it retaliated with a blast of lightning from a metallic arm. Tony dodged out of the way, blasting into the air above it, dodging around and peppering it with repulsor blasts until it lumbered off into the range of Clint's arrows. A streak of fire shot down from a nearby rooftop, and the bot exploded with a satisfying tearing of metal.

'Nice shot, Hawkeye!' Tony called into his comm. 'Anyone else got one of these things?'

'I am engaged in glorious battle with one!' Thor's voice came back, and his obvious elation made Tony smile. No help needed there, then. The Hulk was audibly smashing his opponent several streets away, and apparently enjoying the experience. That left one remaining DoomBot unaccounted for.

'Cap? You got one?' Tony asked. Only silence greeted him over the comm, and Tony frowned. 'Cap?'

Nothing.

'Shit. Anyone know where he is?'

'I saw him heading up Parkside a couple of minutes ago.' Natasha spoke crisply over the comm. 'You go, Iron Man. I'll keep an eye on Hulk.'

'Thanks, Widow.' Tony blasted off as he spoke, heading west, looking down through the buildings for a familiar flash of blue. It was probably only a minute, but felt like hours, before he saw it. As he flew closer, he felt his heart hammering in his chest, a sick horror filling him at the scene below him. Steve stood in a narrow alleyway, shield outstretched. Behind him huddled a young mother and a child of two or three, half hidden behind a row of trash cans. A DoomBot was facing Steve, throwing blasts either side of him, trying to hit the civilians. Steve was standing his ground, but Tony could see the terror on his face even from his vantage point. The DoomBot advanced, and Steve's legs seemed to give way beneath him. He fell to one knee, and as the bot clanked towards him he threw his shield, but his aim was off. It ricocheted off a wall, skidding harmlessly behind an overturned truck, and Steve raised both hands in a defensive gesture. The DoomBot lifted its blaster to strike, but Tony was there first. With a blaze of his jets he landed in front of Steve, blasting the bot with both repulsors. It staggered back, and Tony advanced on it, firing relentlessly until it turned and clattered off down the road. Tony snatched up Steve's shield and swung back to face the young mother.

'Run!' he yelled to her. She didn't need more than that; with a shouted word of thanks she took her baby in her arms and ran for safety. Tony covered the distance to Steve in a few strides and wrapped an arm around his waist as he spoke to Natasha over the comm.

'Widow, it's coming your way. I've got Steve; he's okay. Be with you in a minute. Hawkeye, we're coming up to you.'

'Understood.' Clint and Natasha spoke in near perfect unison. Tony turned his comm off and spoke softly but urgently to Steve.

'I've got you, okay? You're fine. You need to hang on tight; we're going to fly for a couple of minutes. Can you do that?'

Steve nodded wordlessly, his eyes dark and haunted, and Tony tightened his grip around his waist.

'I won't let you fall. Trust me.'

'I do.' Steve's words were almost inaudible over the roar of Tony's jets as they rose into the sky. Tony held Steve close against him. Even through the armor he could feel him shaking with violent tremors, his suit soaked through with sweat or worse. Tony didn't want to know, he decided; he could live his whole life without knowing whether Captain America had wet himself in terror.

'That's it. Hold on. Just a minute more, okay?' Tony kept up a constant stream of reassurance as they flew, unsure whether Steve was hearing anything he was saying. He kept going, holding tightly to Steve, keeping his trajectory carefully controlled as he landed with a skid of stones on the rooftop where Clint stood poised, bow in hand, scanning the ground.

'Hawkeye, Cap's staying with you for now,' Tony told him, setting Steve down gently on the rooftop. Steve fell to his hands and knees, dry retching, and Tony knelt beside him, one hand resting between his shoulder blades. 'Cap, you're okay. You're fine, you did great. Clint's here with you. I'll be right back.'

Steve wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, and then looked up at Tony, his eyes very dark and his face ashen. 'Okay,' he whispered, barely audible over the noise of the wind.

'Hey, Cap, you'll keep an eye out for that DoomBot with me, right?' Clint smiled at him. 'There's only one left now, if I'm counting right. First one to see it gets the first hot shower, yeah?'

'Thanks, Hawkeye.' Tony squeezed Steve's shoulder once, and then took off vertically with a blast of his jets. The battle would be over in minutes, he knew; one DoomBot against the ranks of the Avengers, even depleted as they were, didn't stand much of a chance. But there was more to worry about than just a rogue bot. Somewhere, something had gone terribly wrong with Steve, and they had all missed it.

 

***

Tony rubbed a towel over his damp hair, and then pulled a long-sleeved dark red T-shirt over his head. He was grateful that Fury was allowing them to shower before their debrief; it was so much harder to focus when you had grit in your hair and filthy oil from exploding robots over every exposed bit of skin. Normally he would have lingered under the hot water, but today he had more pressing concerns. Steve had barely spoken to him on the flight back to SHIELD headquarters, sitting with his head bowed and his knuckles white as he gripped his knees tightly. Tony had tried to calm him, but eventually he had run out of comforting words, and simply sat beside him, one hand resting on his back. As soon as they arrived, Steve had disappeared into the shower rooms without a word to any of them. Tony needed to get back to him; he hated leaving him alone in this vulnerable state.

Throwing his towel into a laundry basket, he pushed open the bathroom door, strode down the corridor and walked into the conference room. Steve, Clint and Thor were already sitting around the table. Clint and Thor were speaking quietly together, casting the occasional worried glance over at Steve. Steve was sitting apart from the others, on the other side of the table, his head bowed and his hands resting on his temples, his fingers entwined in his hair.

Tony pulled a chair over to the space next to him and sat down, looking across at him. He was dressed simply in SHIELD-issue sweatpants and a charcoal grey T-shirt; he looked somehow more vulnerable, younger, out of uniform. He didn't look up as Tony sat beside him, but a tear splashed onto the surface of the table in front of him.

'Hey, hey, Steve, it's okay.' Tony scooted his chair closer to Steve, rubbing small circles in the small of his back. 'You're okay, you did good, we're all fine -'

'I let you down,' Steve cut in, his voice rough and broken. He didn't react as Natasha, Bruce and Fury walked quietly into the room, taking their places around the table. 'I messed up, and I nearly got that lady and her baby killed because I couldn't admit I wasn't good enough. I'm a liability. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.'

Tony wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close as he spoke, feeling his breath hitching with sobs. Across the table, Clint's brow furrowed in dismay.

'Cap, I -'

'Don't call me that!' Steve looked up for the first time, his face pale and streaked with tears. 'Don't - I don't deserve it. I'm no captain. I'm a coward.'

'Friend Steven.' Thor's deep rumble across the table surprised them all; Thor tended to keep to himself in debriefs unless he had something very significant to say. 'Friend Steven, if I am understanding you correctly, you have been feeling this way since our encounter with the mysterious item in the warehouse. You have felt no better since then; you have simply hidden it better. Am I right in my thinking?'

Steve nodded wordlessly, and Thor reached out and took both of his hands. 'Then you are no coward, my friend. You have faced terror and stood up to fight in spite of it, and that is worthy of the highest honor, as much as the great heroes of Asgard.'

Steve was silent for a moment, then took a deep, shuddering breath. 'Thank you, Thor.' He leaned into Tony's side then, still holding on to Thor's hands. On his other side, Bruce rested a hand on his shoulder with a comforting pressure.

'That's as may be,' Fury broke in, 'but we need to stand you down for now, Rogers. Not because of anything you've done,' he held up a hand to stall Tony's indignant protest, 'but for your safety. You're compromised, and we need to get to the bottom of it before we can let you take an active role in any further missions.' His voice softened a little as Steve looked up at him. 'You've already proven yourself, son. Let us help you with this one.'

'Yes, sir.' Steve's eyes were downcast, his voice very soft, but Tony felt him relax just a little. He tapped Steve's forearm gently with his free hand, making him look into his face.

'You didn't think we'd think less of you for this, did you?'

Steve's silence and sudden flush were enough of an answer, and Tony sighed.

'Oh, Steve. Seriously, where does this stiff-upper-lip crap come from? Did the serum come with a dose of stoicism? Look,' Tony turned in his chair, resting both hands on Steve's shoulders, making him turn to look at him. 'Who was it that sat up for three nights straight with me whilst I was a drunken mess after Pep left? I seem to remember babbling all kinds of incoherent shit into your shoulder, and I can't even blame that on some kind of supervillain attack. That was all me, well, me and several bottles of Scotch. And did you think less of me after that?'

Steve shook his head. 'But I'm supposed to be your team leader -'

'We're supposed to be your friends,' Tony told him firmly, brushing a tear from his cheek with gentle fingers. 'Let us do that for you, okay? We don't think you're weak, we don't think you're a coward, we just think you're our friend and we care about you and we want to help. Will you let us do that?'

Steve nodded, and then leaned into Tony's side again, letting Tony wrap an arm around him. 'Thank you. All of you, thank you.' His voice broke on the last word, and Tony pulled him close.

'No need. You're fine.' He looked up at Fury then, raising an eyebrow at the oddly soft expression on the Director's face. 'On the subject of deeply frustrating supervillain plots, have your people found anything more around that warehouse? That box we picked up can't be it. There's nothing in it but a simple circuit, there's no way that could have done anything like this. There has to be something more.'

'Nothing.' Fury shook his head, his face clouding. 'I'll have another team go in tonight, take another look around. Dr Banner, perhaps you might speak to SHIELD medical about any investigations that might be useful in the meantime?'

Bruce nodded. 'Sure, I'll check in with them before I head back to the Tower.'

'And on that note, I think we're done here.' Tony spoke firmly, looking at Fury as he spoke, daring him to disagree. 'I want to get Cap home; this is the last place anyone would want to be if they're already feeling on edge. Way too many agents lurking about the place. Present company excepted.' He shot a grin at Clint and Natasha. Natasha raised an eyebrow, and Clint threw a pen at him which vanished down the neck of his T-shirt.

'Hey!' Tony protested, and Clint burst out laughing. Even Steve managed a small, genuine smile.

'Much as I hate to agree with you on anything, Stark, on this occasion you are right. Team, you're dismissed. I'll be in touch.' Fury turned and strode out of the room, and Tony stood, one hand still resting on Steve's shoulder.

'You heard the man. Let's go home.'

 

***

Steve had been quiet for the rest of the day; quiet, but not withdrawn as he had been on the journey to SHIELD. He had stayed close to Tony on the way back to the Tower, speaking little but smiling when any of the team spoke to him or rested a hand on his shoulder in support. He seemed less tense than he had for the past week, as though a weight had been removed from his shoulders. Not having to pretend that he was unaffected by the strange yellow ray must have been a huge relief, Tony reflected; and not being rejected by the team because of it even more so. On the contrary, the events of the past week seemed to have brought them all closer together; there was a feeling of warmth amongst them all that had, perhaps, always been there under the surface, but now they acknowledged it openly, all of them more free with affection and words of comfort than they had ever been.

The afternoon light was fading when they got back to the tower, but nobody seemed to want to go their separate ways just yet. Instead, they all stayed in the communal area, talking little but enjoying one another's company. Clint and Bruce were in the kitchen, and from the delicious fragrance emanating from there they were cooking up one of Bruce's legendary curries. Natasha was reading a battered copy of _The Hobbit_ , curled up in an oversized armchair with her feet tucked underneath her. Thor sat at one end of the sofa, eyes closed, apparently dozing peacefully. Tony sat at the other end, idly browsing on his tablet, and Steve sat between them, sketchpad on his knee, working on a pencil drawing. Now that Tony thought of it, he hadn't seen Steve drawing all week. He should have known from that that something was very wrong; drawing was relaxation for Steve. If he had been so tense that he couldn't draw, one of them should have spotted it. _Tony_ should have spotted it.

He pushed aside his guilt and leaned over to look over Steve's shoulder. He had half expected something terrifying, a depiction on the page of the turmoil in Steve's mind, but what he saw made him stop, take a breath and swallow hard. Steve had drawn the Avengers standing protectively around himself, but not himself as Tony knew him. This was clearly Steve before the serum, small and vulnerable, barely able to lift his shield, the iconic star baggy and ridiculous on his narrow chest. Behind him stood Thor, lightning flashing from Mjölnir as he held it to the sky, one hand protectively on Steve's shoulder. On either side of Thor stood Clint and Natasha, bow and pistol drawn, scanning the surroundings for any threat. Bruce stood off to the side, a familiar half-smile on his face, but overlying him was the shadow of the Hulk, stretching his arms around the team in a clear gesture of protection. Tony stood close beside Steve, half-turned towards him, one arm around his shoulders, and the light from his arc reactor chased away the shadows that lurked around the edges of the picture, so that the whole team stood in a circle of brilliant light.

Steve caught Tony looking and flushed with faint embarrassment, moving the page away.

'No, don't hide it,' Tony protested, his voice a little thick. 'It's - I like it.'

'Thanks.' Steve relented and moved his sketchbook back onto his lap, looking up at Tony. 'It's just a silly sketch, really.'

'It's -' Tony tried again, and failed to come up with any words to describe how he felt about the picture, about him being the one to chase Steve's shadows away. 'It's us.'

'Yes. It's us.' Steve smiled then, his first real, full smile since he had been hit with the ray. Tony rested his hand over Steve's, smiling wordlessly back at him. They sat in silence for a few moments, content in one another's company, and then both looked up as Clint called from the hallway.

'Dinner! Come on, you guys, before it gets cold!'

'Ah, sustenance!' Thor woke up all at once at the mention of dinner, springing to his feet in delight.

Tony squeezed Steve's hand once, and then got to his feet, stretching out the stiffness in his back. 'We're coming, keep your feathers on!'

The team sat around the table with enthusiastic appreciation as Bruce ladled generous portions of fragrant curry onto their plates. Even Steve seemed to be enjoying the food; he had had little appetite over the past week, but he took the plate that Bruce handed him with a smile and tore off a large hunk of bread from the basket in the middle of the table. Tony smiled as he watched the team eating and laughing together, a safe space for them all, whatever else was happening around them. It was good to be home.

*** 

Tony settled into the sofa with a sigh, ice cubes clinking together in his glass of whiskey. Bruce looked up with a smile from the armchair across the room. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, I'm good.' Tony took a sip of his drink and returned the smile. 'Just grabbing a quick one before I head down to the lab. I need to go over that damn thing again, find out what it is we're missing.'

'Tony.' Bruce leaned forward, looking intently at him. 'We have been over every inch of that machine. You're not missing anything. There's nothing left you haven't analysed three times over. Whatever the answer is, it's not there. And you're not going to find it anywhere if you don't sleep at least one night through this week.'

Tony shook his head. 'It has to be. It _has_ to be, Bruce. I saw it, the beam came right out of that thing. We've gone over that room twenty times; there is nothing else in there. I have to look again.'

'Okay. Okay, we'll look again. But not tonight. You have to sleep sometime.' He paused for a moment, looking intently at Tony. 'Are you really okay? You've been quiet all week. You're never quiet.'

Tony sipped his whiskey, taking a moment to savour the smokey taste before answering. 'Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to tone it down a bit around Cap, you know? He's so jumpy, I'm guessing he wouldn't deal so well with, you know. With me.'

'I wouldn't be so sure.' Bruce's voice was soft. 'It was you he went to, remember, right from the beginning, when nobody else could get through to him. You, Tony, as you are.' He smiled, his eyes warm. 'I know how you feel about him.'

Tony choked on his drink. 'What do you mean, how I feel about him? Yeah, sure, I'm worried about him, we all are, I mean, we've got to fix this -'

'Tony.' Bruce cut him off gently. 'You know what I'm talking about.'

Tony was silent for a moment, and then set his drink down on the table, putting his head in his hands. 'Damn it. Am I that obvious? Does everyone know?'

'You're my best friend, Tony. I know you. And if Tasha doesn't know she should be handing in her spy card, and if she knows then so does Clint. As for Thor - well, he sees more than we give him credit for, I think.'

'And Steve?'

'Who knows? Steve's a closed book, or he was until this week. Now - I'd say he feels the same.'

'You think?' Tony looked up at him.

'That's how it looks to me. But, Tony - just be careful, okay? Don't rush anything.'

Tony went still. He looked at Bruce for a long moment, and when he spoke his voice was cold. 'You think I'd take advantage of him when he's vulnerable? You really think that? I thought you knew me, Bruce. Doesn't look that way to me.'

'Tony, no.’ Bruce’s eyes were dark and full of concern as he crossed the room to sit beside Tony. 'That's not what I mean. I know you'd never hurt him, of course I do.' He rested a hand on Tony's arm as he continued, encouraged when Tony didn't pull away. 'It's you I'm worried about. I know the thing with Pepper ended months ago, but I just don't want to see you hurt again. Especially when Steve's emotions are all over the place; it's so hard to tell what's him and what's the effect of the attack.'

Tony rubbed a hand over his eyes. 'Fuck. I'm sorry, Bruce. I guess I'm just - ‘ He broke off, shaking his head.

'You're tired, and worried.' Bruce squeezed his arm reassuringly. 'Which is why you need to get some rest. Look, if you won't go to bed, at least rest here for a while. Cap's asleep already, isn't he?'

'Yeah, he crashed out not long after dinner. That curry's good stuff.' Tony managed a genuine smile. 'Okay, you win. JARVIS, let's have some light jazz, low volume. I'll have an hour here and then hit the lab. Will that do?'

'It'll have to,' Bruce smiled back at him. 'I'll keep you company; I never read this morning's paper in all the excitement.'

Bruce retrieved the newspaper from the coffee table and began to leaf through it, and Tony pulled out his tablet, flicking idly through his designs for improvements to the suit. He could feel himself relaxing in the warmth of the room, soothed by the soft music, and he closed his eyes, letting the minutes tick by.

The sound of the elevator door opening made him sit up, and he turned to see Steve standing hesitantly in the doorway, barefoot and dressed simply in light sweatpants and a pale grey T-shirt, dark shadows under his eyes. Tony smiled reassuringly at him.

'Hey, Steve. Can't sleep?'

Steve shook his head. 'It's stupid, I know, but it's the light. I can't sleep with it on, but when I turn it off I -’ He flushed, clearly embarrassed. 'I start convincing myself I can see stuff in the shadows. My damn jacket was definitely a DoomBot.' He tried to smile, self-deprecating humor in his words, but it didn't reach his eyes.

'You need a nightlight,' Tony declared. Steve forced a laugh, but Tony held up a hand to stop him. 'No, really, you do. I have one right here.' He tapped the arc reactor gently. 'If you're up for some company, I'm a great source of unobtrusive illumination.'

Steve hesitated for a moment before speaking. 'You'd do that for me? Tony, I can't ask you to -'

'Hey, if you can get him to go to bed, I'm all for this idea,' Bruce put in with a smile. 'You know what he's like. If he gets back down to that lab we'll never get him to rest.'

'Right here!' Tony waved at him in mock protest, before turning to Steve. 'Seriously, Steve. Just give me ten minutes to change and wash up and I'll be right there.' He hesitated, suddenly uncharacteristically shy. 'If that's okay with you?'

Steve smiled, small but genuine. 'I'd like that. Thanks, Tony.'

'Sleep well, you two,' Bruce told them softly. 'I'm off to bed too in a minute, just finishing this article first.'

'Goodnight, Bruce.' Steve stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. As the doors slid closed, Tony turned to Bruce. 

'Don't say a word.'

'Wasn't going to.' Bruce shook his head. 'I trust you, Tony, and more importantly, so does Steve.'

'I'm just keeping him company so he can sleep, that's all. I'm not going to -'

'Tony. I get it. Really, I do.'

'Okay.' Tony subsided. 'Thanks, Bruce.'

'Any time. Sleep well.'

 

***

Tony regarded himself critically in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, the taste of spearmint fresh on his tongue. He wore an old, deep red T-shirt over his arc reactor; it was the thinnest shirt he had, allowing the light to shine through clearly. He had considered leaving it exposed completely, but changed his mind as he ran his fingers over the twisted white scars that surrounded the pale glowing circle. He was still too self-conscious to reveal that to anyone else, even to Steve. Especially to Steve.

He swirled cold water around his mouth, spat into the sink and leaned against the basin with a sigh. Bruce was right, of course; his feelings for Steve had not been just about friendship for a long time. But Steve was so vulnerable now, so in need of comfort. Tony ran his hand through his hair, meeting his own dark, troubled eyes in the mirror. He was so afraid of getting this wrong, of pushing too far or taking advantage of Steve's need for him. But Steve did need him, needed comfort and company tonight, and what Steve needed came first. Tony's own feelings could wait. Turning on the cold tap, he scooped up a handful of water, splashing it over his face, and then grabbed a fresh towel, rubbing it over his head, his hair standing up in spikes. He took a deep breath, and then turned toward the door. Steve would be waiting for him.

***

Tony pushed the door open softly, smiling as he saw Steve sitting up in the bed, his knees drawn up to his chest, looking shyly up at him.

'Hey there, Cap. Room in there for me?' Tony kept his voice light.

Steve smiled back at him as he shuffled over. 'Plenty. My landlord's generous with his furniture.'

'That so?' Tony grinned, the tension broken. He crossed over to the bed in a few steps, climbing in beside Steve, pulling a sheet lightly up over them both. Steve curled into his side without hesitation, and Tony wrapped an arm around him, letting him rest his head on his shoulder. 'This okay?'

‘Mmmm.’ Steve made a soft noise of contentment. 'Tony, are you sure you don't mind -'

'Of course I don't. Hey, the nights are getting colder, and you're warm. Saves on the heating bills.'

'You don't have heating bills. Clean energy, remember?'

'Hush.' Tony laughed softly. 'Stop spoiling my excuses.' He squeezed Steve's shoulder lightly. 'Want to try turning the light off?'

'Sure.' Steve's voice was quiet but steady.

'JARVIS? Lights off, please.'

The overhead light clicked off immediately, leaving the room lit with a soft glow from Tony's arc reactor, casting the area around the bed in a circle of light, just enough that he could see Steve's face.

'That okay?' Tony looked carefully at Steve. He looked very young and tired in the half-light, the shadows under his eyes very visible, but he was smiling as he replied.

'More than okay. I think this is the first time since - since it happened, that I've felt really safe. Thank you, Tony.'

'No need to thank me. You know you can ask for help any time, right? No more pretending to be okay if you're not.'

Steve flushed. 'I'm sorry -'

'No - no, that's not what I meant.' Tony brushed Steve's hair away from his face with a gentle touch. 'Just, let us help you, okay. We're your friends. We care about you, Steve.'

'I know.' Steve smiled, curling closer into Tony's side, resting a hand over his chest. 'That's the good thing about all of this. Almost makes the whole thing worth it.'

'We cared about you before, you know.' Tony pulled back a little to look into Steve's face. 'Nothing's changed.'

'But I couldn't -’ Steve ducked his head, not meeting Tony's eyes. 'Before, I couldn't talk to you, not really. I wanted to. This - I've needed this, Tony, for so long.'

'Then why didn't you ask?' Tony pulled Steve's chin up gently, looking into his face. 'You could have come to me, Steve. You know that, right?'

'I'm supposed to be leading the team. I couldn't tell you I was -’ He broke off, silent for a moment, and then continued, his voice very soft. 'That's what I mean about this being a good thing. I can't hide how I'm feeling now, so, I guess I have nothing to lose by asking for help.' He smiled, a small, self-deprecating quirk of his mouth. 'I think I've cried more this week than I have in the last seventy-five years, if you count time on ice. I've almost stopped being ashamed of it.'

'Hey, hey, hold on there.' Tony ran his thumb lightly over Steve's lips, stopping whatever he had been about to say. 'You do not need to be ashamed, okay? None of us think any less of you for it, whatever the reason. And - Steve, seventy-five years? That's most of the war, and this year, right?'

'About that.'

'But you - you lost everything.' Steve said nothing, and Tony shook his head, horrified. 'We thought you must be talking to someone else, as you weren't talking to us. Surely you've had some time to grieve for - for Bucky and Peggy, and everyone?'

'Who would I talk to?' Steve's voice was steady, although his eyes were very bright in the dim light. 'You're all I've got, Tony, you and the others. And I couldn't cry in front of you. What would you think of me?'

'I'd think, hey, Steve's having a perfectly normal response to a situation I couldn't even begin to imagine.' Tony curled his fingers around the back of Steve's neck, stroking his hair softly with his thumb. 'Why would I judge you? You've seen me cry.'

'You were drunk. That's different.'

'So, I need alcohol to admit how I'm feeling. You need some, some freaky magic fear ray or whatever the damn thing is. Tomato, tomahto.'

Steve huffed a laugh, hiding his face in Tony's shoulder. 'Let's call the whole thing off.'

'Hey, you got the reference!' Tony laughed, pulling him close and brushing his lips lightly over his hair. 'Seriously, though. If this is what you needed to talk to me, then I get that. But now we're here, if you need to talk about, about the war or your friends or any of the stuff that's happened to you -'

'I do.' Steve's voice was very soft, his face still half hidden against Tony's shoulder. 'I do; I want to tell you about Bucky dying and the plane crash and waking up and everything else. But can it be another day? I'm so tired, Tony.'

Tony wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. 'Any time. Whatever you want.' He settled onto his back, letting Steve rest his head on his shoulder. 'Have you not been sleeping at all?'

'Not really. I - I couldn't sleep in the dark, and even if I did the dreams woke me up.' Steve's voice shook a little on the last words, and Tony ran a hand softly over his hair.

'Well, get some rest now, then. I'll be here; I'm not going anywhere. And if you wake up and need anything, even just to know that I'm still here with you, just wake me up. No trying to get through this on your own when you don't have to. Understood?'

Steve smiled. 'Yes, sir.'

Tony laughed. 'And that's quite enough of that, too. I don't do authority, remember?' He pulled Steve close against him, blond hair soft against his cheek. 'Get some sleep. You're safe.'

Steve closed his eyes, his fingers curled loosely in Tony's shirt. Tony held him close, listening as his breathing slowed as he slipped into sleep, the tension gone at last from his face. He brushed his fingers very lightly over his hair, whispering softly so as not to wake him.

'I'll keep you safe, Steve. Whatever it takes.'

 

***

 

The shrill ringing of his phone woke Tony abruptly. Beside him, Steve sat bolt upright, wide eyed and tousle-haired, staring around the room in confusion.

'It's okay, Steve. Just the phone.' Tony rested one hand on Steve's back as he scrabbled on the nightstand for his phone, and then frowned as he saw the caller display. What was Pepper doing calling him at - he checked the time - seven in the morning? They'd remained on civil terms since breaking up, but he hadn't spoken to her beyond a few company emails in weeks. Worried now, he answered, bringing the phone to his ear.

'Pep? You okay?'

'Tony.' She sounded relieved to hear him. 'I'm fine, but - have you seen the TV this morning? Or Twitter?'

Tony groaned. 'I haven't even done anything this time! Honest, Pep. Did the saving the world bit, came home, had dinner, went to bed. Did my homework and everything.'

'It's not you, for a change.' There was a slight hint of amusement under her concern. 'There's some footage of Steve that someone's posted online from some security cameras. Looks like he starts out fighting one of those bots, but he's freaking out, drops his shield, he basically loses it completely. There's this woman and her baby behind him, but it's looking like he can't protect them -'

'Hold it right there.' Tony spoke more abruptly than he had intended to; Steve was looking at him with guilt clear in his eyes, his enhanced hearing clearly having picked up every word. Tony took his hand as he continued, slightly more softly, squeezing Steve's hand reassuringly. 'Okay, Steve's not at his best right now. It's a long story, but he'll be fine, and he did great yesterday.'

'I'm sure he did, Tony.' Pepper's voice was gentle. 'But that's not what they're saying online.'

Tony sighed. 'How bad is it?'

'Hashtag _scaredycap_ is trending. And the video's had half a million hits so far.'

'Shit. Okay, okay.' Tony let go of Steve's hand, wrapping an arm around his waist. 'We'll sort this out. Thanks, Pep.'

'You might want to hurry it up, Tony. _Good Morning America_ is running a segment on it right now. Lots of speculation, but it's turning nasty. Want me to set up a press conference?'

'Let's get something on standby. I'll explain it all when I see you.' He looked at Steve as he spoke, silently asking permission to tell Pepper the whole truth. Steve's eyes were downcast, but he nodded in resignation, leaning against Tony for support.

'Okay, Pep, gotta go. Thanks for the heads up.'

'No problem. Tell Steve we're in his corner, okay?' Her voice was warm, and Tony felt himself smiling despite everything. He and Pepper would never have worked, he knew that now, but she was still a superhero in her own right as far as he was concerned.

'Will do. Talk later.' He clicked off the phone, turned, and pulled Steve into a tight embrace. Steve leaned against him, and Tony could feel him shaking, fighting for control.

'Hey. Hey, Steve, it's fine. It's nothing, okay? Just some daytime TV host with nothing better to talk about. It can't be as bad as HULK SMASH LIBERTY LADY or that time Tasha swore at Putin in Russian, God knows how we're all still alive. We can ignore the whole thing if you want to; Pep will deal with it.'

Steve sighed, shaky but controlled. 'No, we'd better see what they're saying. Just, stay with me?'

Tony ran a hand lightly over his hair. 'Always. Come on, then. If we're going to have to watch daytime TV, we're at least going to have good coffee while we do it.'

 

***

 

Tony definitely needed that coffee. The smug talk show host played the segment of video over and over, commentating on it with clearly false concern. It did look bad, Tony had to admit; the damn security camera was at just the right angle to catch Steve's ashen, tear-streaked face, his fall to his knees as the DoomBot approached, his fumble of his shield, and the clip was edited to make it appear that it was inevitable that the woman and her baby would be abandoned to die. In between re-runnings of the clip, an assortment of self-declared psychologists and military 'experts' (Tony was already looking up their credentials) opined in solemn tones about just where it had all gone wrong.

'He's just not able to keep up with the modern world,' one woman in a hideous peach cardigan declared. 'Captain America was all well and good in the forties, but his time has gone. He's holding the Avengers back now, and that puts us all in danger.'

'What knows that woman of war?' Thor bristled as he sat down beside Steve, a big arm around his shoulders. Tony looked up, surprised; he hadn't noticed the rest of the team arrive, but they were all here now, Natasha and Clint sitting on the floor by Steve's feet, Bruce standing a little distance away, mug of tea cupped in his hands, his expression dark as he watched the television.

'She hasn't got a clue, big guy.' Tony worked at keeping his voice light, aware of Steve's tension beside him, but an undercurrent of anger was clear under his words. 'And I'd bet the Mark Seven that this guy doesn't know much more.' He gestured with his coffee mug at the television where a man in an Army uniform was preparing to speak. He had thinning hair and the beginnings of a paunch around his middle, and judging by his lack of medals Tony doubted he had seen much active service.

'You're quite right, ma'am,' the man said in a nasal tone. 'Sentimentality is all very well, and I'm sure Captain America was very popular in his day, but really, nobody wants a relic of a superhero who goes to pieces at the first sign of a little trouble. I'm sure he could be retired with a decent pension, kept out of the way of the real heroes so they can do their job.'

'That's it!' Tony slammed his mug down, slopping coffee all over the table. 'I've heard enough of this shit. I'm gonna get the TV producer on the phone, see what that asshole has to say when he's faced with the Avengers in person -'

'Tony, he's right.' Steve's quiet voice stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to look at him, shocked into silence. Steve's face was pale, his eyes too bright, but his expression was resolute. 'I _do_ get in the way. Maybe it is time I stepped down. I've just been fooling myself.'

'Steve, don't talk crap.' Tony spoke forcefully, but he was gentle as he took both of Steve's hands in his, looking into his face. 'You're our leader, you're what holds us together, you know that, right?' Steve's silence was answer enough, and he looked away, tears in his eyes. Tony held his hands tighter as he continued. 'Look - you're the best of all of us, okay? I - I'm not good at this stuff, but you - we couldn't do this without you.' He looked helplessly over Steve's shoulder at Thor, who, thank all the gods and this one in particular, got the hint and clapped Steve on the shoulder.

'The Man of Iron speaks truth, my friend! You are a wise leader, and strong to boot! Would you have me sent into retirement if I were wounded by a foe? Or if the Man of Iron or the Lady Natasha were bested in battle, would you have them removed from the team?'

Steve hesitated, then shook his head, looking very young. ‘No.’ His voice was very quiet.

'Well, then, stop with the double standards!' Tony cut in, with a grateful glance to Thor. He wrapped an arm around Steve, pulling him close. 'You're not going anywhere, Cap. We need you. And I'm going to tell that idiot -'

'Guys, shh.' Natasha held up a hand, stopping him, her eyes on the screen. 'They've got someone else up here, we might want to see this.'

Tony turned to look at the screen, still holding Steve close against him. He could feel him trembling against his side, and curled his fingers lightly around his arm, trying to reassure him without words. Steve leaned against him, clearly taking comfort from his closeness.

'And now, exclusive to _Good Morning America_ , we have an eyewitness account of Captain America's public breakdown! The young lady we saw on the video, who was almost killed along with her little boy as a result of the Captain's strange behaviour, is here with us in the studio! Jennifer, welcome.'

The camera panned onto a young woman sitting nervously in a studio chair, a boy of about eighteen months bouncing and smiling in her lap. She was pretty, perhaps in her late twenties, with a cascade of wavy dark hair, wearing black-framed oval glasses. She gave a shy smile to the interviewer as he pushed the microphone towards her.

Steve put a shaking hand to his mouth. 'That's her. That's the lady.'

'Well, she's got no damn business -' Tony began, but Natasha waved him impatiently into silence. 

'Shh!'

Tony shut up and listened. He really didn't want to hear any more slurs against Steve, especially from someone whose life he had saved, but he had to know what was being said to do damage control later, both for their public image and for Steve's sense of guilt and shame.

'Good morning, Jennifer.' The interviewer's voice was thick with fake, unctuous concern. ‘You were there when Captain America so publicly failed to defend the city from the DoomBots. I understand that you and your little boy here were under attack when he arrived on the scene?’

‘We were.’ The young woman spoke in clear, firm tones. ‘And let me tell you, that man fought to defend us for ten straight minutes. He didn’t fail anyone as far as I’m concerned.’

‘Ha!’ Clint raised his voice in brief triumph, but fell immediately silent again as they all leaned forward to listen.

The interviewer frowned; this was clearly not going as he had planned. 'But, ma'am, we've all seen the footage. He lost it completely! Dropped his shield! The man was in tears!'

'Yes, he was scared.' Jennifer's voice was steady as she leaned forward and met his eyes. 'Everyone was scared. I really thought I was going to die until Captain America arrived. Tell me, have you ever seen one of those DoomBots, face to face?'

'Well, I - no, but -' The man's face was red now as he blustered.

'Or you, sir? Or you, ma'am?' Jennifer turned to the other guests, who were now looking distinctly shamefaced. 'Would you be able to stand for ten minutes, defending me and my son, even though it terrified you?'

Their lack of response and flushed faces were answer enough. The camera focused in on the young woman, and Tony smiled. This was great television, whatever the host might think of it. Beside him, Steve was watching silently, tears streaking his face. Tony rested his head on Steve's shoulder as they watched.

'Let me tell you about my little boy,' Jennifer continued. 'After the attack, he was so scared, I was so worried he was going to be traumatised for years. But then we saw Captain America on the news, and he pointed, and his little face just lit up. He said _Cap!_. That was the first time he'd spoken for hours. He was still scared to sleep in the dark -'

'Glad it's not just me,' Steve muttered with a shaky laugh, and Tony grinned, holding him close. At least he hadn't lost that dry sense of humor that always surprised people who didn't know him.

' - but I got him a Captain America shield nightlight and he settled just fine with Cap watching over him.' Jennifer held her little boy close for a long moment, then looked directly into the camera, her dark eyes serious.

'If you're watching, Captain, my son and I want to thank you. You saved our lives, however hard it was for you. Whatever's going on with you, whether it was a bad day or you're not well or anything else, you're still a hero to us. We believe in you.'

The camera panned away, and Natasha clicked the television off with a firm press of the remote. 'And I think we'll leave it there. At least someone still has a bit of sense.' 

'The Lady Jennifer speaks with great wisdom and honor!' Thor boomed. 'Friend Tony, may we send her an array of blooms, such as are admired by my fair Jane?'

'Hell, yes, she's getting flowers,' Tony agreed. 'And a trust fund for the kid. And a job at Stark Industries, if she wants it. We need more people like her.' He already had his phone out, texting Pepper to make the arrangements.

'Maybe leave it a few days,' Bruce put in softly. 'Flowers now, sure, but the rest of it when all this has died down a bit. If it looks like we bribed her it won't go well for any of us, especially her.'

'Point taken.' Tony fired off an addendum to his text. 'This is why we keep you around, Bruce. You're the sensible one.' He turned in his seat, facing Steve, still keeping an arm around his waist.

'See, Steve? It's not just us. She believes in you. Lots of people do. Nobody's giving up on you, and I won't let you give up either. Understood?'

Steve nodded, managing a shaky smile. His eyes were dry now, if a little red-rimmed. 'I guess. I just wish I knew how to fix this.'

'You mean the public stuff, or the whole thing? Don't worry about the public thing; Pep's putting together a statement, something suitably vague about the aftereffects of an enemy attack, non-permanent, back in fighting form soon, blah blah. As for the rest of it, we'll work it out. I promise. You'll be okay.'

'Speaking of that,' Bruce said quietly, and they all turned to look at him as he continued. 'I was going to say this earlier, but we all got a little distracted. Steve, I've been talking to some of the guys at SHIELD medical. We want to run some scans, if that's okay with you. If we can find out where the problem is, we can work on it with some real direction.'

'Sure.' Steve gave him a small smile. 'Thanks, Bruce.' He hesitated. 'You'll be there, right?'

'Damn right I will. We all will,' Bruce told him firmly, and Tony felt Steve relax a little against him. Impulsively, he brushed his lips over the side of Steve's hair, and Steve leaned closer, resting his head on Tony's shoulder.

'I'll fix it up over the next few days, then, once we can get the equipment in place. Now, who wants breakfast? I'm thinking pancakes.' Bruce set his tea down, heading for the kitchen at the clamour of approval from the rest of the team. In his pocket, Tony's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out, reading the text from Pepper with a smile.

'Hey, guys? I think we're okay. Pep texted; she hasn't even put the statement out yet and hashtag _we-believe-in-Cap_ is trending on Twitter.'

Steve smiled against his shoulder, and Thor gave a low rumble of approval. Tony grinned. 'Grace period or no, that woman is coming to work in my PR department. Pep is going to love her.'

 

***

The next few days passed blessedly peacefully; the media had grown tired of their story and moved on to the next celebrity scandal, and the supervillains of New York were, just for the moment, causing a minimal level of trouble. There had been only one minor incident, when Fabian Stankovicz made yet another attempt at robbing a city centre bank in his mechanised suit. Tony had been ready to slip out of the Tower and deal with him before Steve noticed he'd gone, but as he prepared to put on the armor his phone had buzzed with a message from Reed Richards. _We've got this one. Give Cap our best._

Steve had been calmer these last few days, too, still staying close to the rest of the team, but managing a few genuine smiles and joining in conversation around the dinner table. He still spent his nights with Tony, and for the most part had slept peacefully, only once waking in the grip of a nightmare, wide-eyed and ashen faced. Tony had woken to find him shaking silently beside him, and wrapped him in his arms, holding him close until he slipped back into sleep. Touch seemed to comfort him more than anything else, something the team had quickly picked up on. Steve was rarely alone now; Bruce or Clint would sit beside him on the couch, close enough that their shoulders would touch his. Natasha still sat with her back against the armrest, but she would rest her feet in Steve's lap, curling her toes at him until he massaged the tension of the day from her feet. Thor was less subtle; he would simply wrap a big arm around Steve's shoulders, letting him lean into his embrace. As the only member of the team bigger than Steve, he was able to make him feel physically protected perhaps more than any of the others. As for Tony, he found he was becoming uncomfortable if he was too far away from Steve. Whenever he could, in between studying the mysterious box in the lab, he would curl beside Steve on the couch, an arm around his shoulders or a hand on his knee, constantly reassuring him with small touches. Tony had always been tactile, but Steve rarely had been until now. It seemed that that had been Steve holding back rather than a natural tendency; certainly he seemed to seek out touch now, reaching out to his team as much as they reached out to him.

Today, he was curled into the corner of the sofa, Tony close beside him, engrossed in a book that Natasha had found for him on the history of Brooklyn through the 20th century. He looked relaxed, smiling every so often and pointing out photographs of places he recognised to Tony. His hair was still damp from the shower after a sparring session with Thor; he was insistent on keeping his combat skills up, and he trusted the team enough to fight with them without feeling afraid.

Across the room, Clint sighed deeply, looking out of the window across the city. Steve looked up, setting his book aside.

'What's wrong, Hawkeye? Something worrying you?'

Clint looked round, startled. 'Sorry, Cap, didn't mean to disturb you.'

'Not a problem. What is it?'

He sighed again. 'It's just that battle the other day. I know we've been focused on - on all the other stuff, but I think I messed up. Think I've messed up a few times, to be honest. I'm fine when there's one thing to fight, or when there are loads like with the Chitauri, but when there's just two or three all over the city I feel like I'm a bit of a waste of space. I mean, if I'd seen that one that you had, we could have finished it off a lot quicker and - well, you'd have been okay. But however high I get, I can't see where they are when they're scattered so far apart.'

Steve unfolded himself from the couch, picking up his sketchbook and crossing the room to sit beside Clint. 'First, you are _never_ a waste of space. Don't ever think that. We value you as part of the team, Clint, and you do good work. We maybe just need to work on some strategy, if you're feeling that we're not using you to your full potential.'

Clint looked down, blushing at Steve's words of praise, and Tony hid his grin behind his tablet. Steve flipped open his sketchbook to a blank page, sketching out a rough map of the city. 

‘Let’s start with your strengths. One: your attacks are pinpoint. Not just against opponent type but against location on an opponent. Two: your attacks are varied and you can customize them. That’s more than I can do; the shield and I are a bit of a one-trick pony. Three: you are not as flashy as… some of us.’ Steve nodded deliberately at Tony with a wink, and he grinned back. ‘That means you can go places on the battlefield we can’t and achieve objectives we can’t. The trick is not to try to do Thor’s job. Or Tony’s - but to do the jobs they can’t. And despite their towering egos there are a lot of those jobs.’

‘You wound me, Cap.’ Tony grinned, no rancor in his voice.

Steve sketched some tiny figures on the city map. Three groups of DoomBots of varying numbers from one to six, and a Chitauri Leviathan.

‘Now, give me a list of the arrow heads you have loaded right now.’ 

Clint took the pencil from him, writing furiously. Tony smiled, watching their blond heads bent close together. Steve may not be at his best on the battlefield, but there was nothing wrong with his leadership of the team. They worked on the list quietly, long minutes passing, until Bruce walked in, crossing the room to stand beside Steve.

'Hey, Bruce.' Steve looked up with an easy smile.

'Hey.' Bruce's answering smile was faintly anxious. 'You up for a trip out tomorrow?'

'Sure.' Steve's voice was light, but Tony felt him tense beside him. 'What are we doing?'

'I've got the SHIELD medics on board with some investigations. We need to do a functional MRI, a few baseline tests - nothing invasive, but it might take a while. I'm hoping it'll give us some answers.'

'I hope so too.' Steve's voice was soft. 'Thanks for arranging it, Bruce.'

'No problem.'

***

Steve walked close to Tony on his way in to SHIELD headquarters, clearly working hard at projecting a calm exterior. The medical suite was down in the basement, and as they stepped into the elevator Tony brushed his hand against Steve's in an attempt at subtle reassurance. Steve's expression didn't change, but he grabbed Tony's hand and held on tightly, so hard that it was almost painful. Tony squeezed back, rubbing his thumb lightly over the back of Steve's hand. Without a word, Clint and Natasha positioned themselves close to Steve and Tony, shielding them from view as they reached the basement and walked down the corridor.

'You okay? You don't have to do this.' Tony spoke very quietly.

'Yes, I do.' Steve kept looking ahead as he spoke. 'We need to fix this. Just, stay with me.'

'You know I will.' Tony squeezed his hand. 'As close as I can, short of getting into the machine with you. Don't think Bruce would let us do that, somehow. He's boring like that.'

Steve managed a soft laugh at that, and Bruce gave him a smile as he held open the door, ushering him into the medical rooms. 'Don't think I can't hear you, Stark. I'm on to you.'

Tony grinned back at him. 'You know I'm your favorite, Bruce.' Bruce cuffed him playfully on the back of the head as he walked through the door.

It was a welcoming room, with a bank of computers and screens along a desk and a row of comfortable chairs in front of them. Beyond the computers was a large glass panel overlooking a room in which stood an imposing white machine, tubular in shape, with a stretcher-like bed protruding from the opening. Tony felt Steve tense beside him and squeezed his hand reassuringly. It looked intimidating, even to Tony; he couldn't imagine what Steve must be feeling.

'Captain Rogers, good afternoon.' The words spoken in a warm British accent made Steve look round at the doctor who was walking towards them out of a small office. He was in his forties, perhaps a little older than Tony, with fair, curly hair and a welcoming smile. His pale green shirt was open at the neck, worn over dark brown corduroy slacks. He took Steve's hand in a warm handshake, apparently unfazed by the fact that Steve had to let go of Tony's hand to reciprocate.

'I'm Dr Lomas, neuropsychiatrist with SHIELD. It's good to meet you, Captain.'

'Please, call me Steve.' Steve seemed more relaxed now, and Tony smiled across at Bruce. He had chosen well from the medical staff available, if first impressions were any guide.

'Steve, then, thank you.' The doctor looked around at the rest of the group. 'Mr Stark and Mr Odinsson I recognise, and Agents Barton and Romanov, of course.' He turned to Bruce, offering a handshake. 'So this must be Dr Banner. We spoke on the phone, I think?'

'Bruce.' Bruce gave him a smile. 'Thank you for your help, we appreciate it.'

'You're welcome. Anything we can do to help.' Dr Lomas turned and gestured towards a tall young woman with long brown hair who had followed him out of the office. 'This is Dr Ferguson; she's interning with me at the moment. She'll be handling the technical side of things today.'

The young woman gave the group a cursory smile. In contrast to her supervisor's relaxed manner, she seemed distant, focusing more on the setup of the screens in the room than her patient. Tony joined in the chorus of polite greetings, but looking at the lines of anxiety around Steve's eyes, he found himself feeling glad that this woman was not in charge of his care.

'Steve, have a seat.' The psychiatrist sat in one of the comfortable leather-covered chairs, gesturing for Steve to sit across from him. 'We need to do a few things today; I know Dr Banner has explained some of it to you, but I want to make sure you're comfortable with what we're planning. I want to run a set of blood tests; we have most of your baseline blood results on file, as you know, so we'll look at hormone levels and basic physiology to see if anything has changed, and we'll run a toxicology screen as well, just to exclude any drug reactions. After that, we'll do an EEG - that's a scan of the electrical waves produced by your brain. That just involves sticking some electrodes to your head and recording the output on paper; you won't feel anything. The last bit is the most uncomfortable part for you; I'd like to do a functional MRI scan of your brain. That's basically a real-time video of the blood flow in your brain, so we can see how it changes in response to different sounds and situations. We can get a picture from that of whether there are any areas of under- or over-activity. Once we know that, we'll be able to get an idea of how to address the problem. The uncomfortable part is that you'll have to lie on that examination table in there.' The doctor gestured through the glass panel to the large machine Tony had seen when they came in. 'The table slides inside the scanner, so you're lying in a tube. It can be a bit tight in there, and it gets a bit noisy when the scanner is processing, but you can stop at any time. You've got a microphone in there so we can hear if you ask us to stop. Does that all sound okay?'

Steve nodded, his mouth set in a determined line despite the apprehension in his eyes. 'Sure. Let's get this done.' He hesitated. 'Can my friends stay with me?' Steve looked embarassed at his own question, but the doctor nodded, apparently unsurprised.

'For all but the last part, yes. For that, they'll have to stay behind the screen in here so it doesn't interfere with the results. But they can talk to you, and you to them. In fact, that will be useful, if the rest of you don't mind helping?'

Tony walked over to rest a hand on Steve's shoulder. 'Anything we can do to help, you've got it.' Steve looked up at him gratefully, and Tony squeezed his shoulder with a smile.

'Good to hear, thank you. In that case, shall we get started?'

 

***

The preliminary tests didn't take long, and Steve seemed a little more relaxed by the end of it, chatting to the doctor about places he had visited in England during the war as the man drew what seemed to Tony to be an alarming quantity of blood in small vials. The EEG was as simple as promised, too, and Clint kept Steve calm with gentle teasing, taking pictures of him with the electrodes on his head and threatening to post his 'Captain Cyborg' pictures to Twitter until Natasha cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. Before long, Steve was lying on the examination table in the scanner room as Dr Lomas explained the procedures to him in soft, reassuring tones. Tony watched anxiously through the window, twirling a pen in his fingers absently until Natasha took it away from him and rapped it gently over his knuckles.

'Stop that, Stark. You're making _me_ nervous.' She sat down next to him, studying his face for a long moment.

'He'll be fine, you know. The doctor knows what he's doing.'

Tony sighed, dragging his gaze away from Steve's pale face to give her a half-hearted smile. 'I know, Tasha. I just -’ He stopped, shaking his head. 'He looks so scared.'

'And you look like they're about to execute him. He can see you through that window, you know.' She gave Steve a grin and a little wave, and he looked up, smiling back. Tony forced a smile onto his face just in time, giving Steve a thumbs-up sign.

'That's better.' Natasha bumped her knee affectionately against his. 'This is good, Tony. We're finding out what's wrong with him. And once we've done that, we can fix it. We're the Avengers, right? We can do anything.'

'Sure we can.' Tony found himself smiling despite his anxiety for Steve. 'Thanks, Tasha.'

She ruffled his hair in response, and then stood as the doctor came back into the room. He turned on some switches at a control panel, a screen beside him lighting up, and then spoke into a microphone.

'Can you hear me, Steve?'

'Yes, sir.' Steve's voice sounded clearly through a speaker on the wall. Tony looked through the glass panel, keeping his expression neutral. Steve was lying on the examination table now, a fabric strap across his forehead holding his head steady, his hands by his sides. He looked calm; calmer than Tony felt.

'Okay,' the doctor continued. 'We're going to slide you into the scanner now to get some baseline readings. Remember, just shout up if you need a break.'

He gestured to his intern, who pressed some buttons on the control panel, and the table slid smoothly into the scanner. Tony startled as a loud knocking noise began to emanate from the scanner, and Bruce rested a hand on his shoulder. 'It's okay, Tony. That's normal, it's just the scan starting up.'

'Okay, Steve?' Dr Lomas asked into the microphone.

'I'm okay.' Steve's voice was slightly strained, but relatively calm. On the screen, an image of a brain appeared. Most of the image was in grayscale, but in the lower central portion, there was an area that glowed a sickly yellow color, appearing to pulse slightly. Dr Lomas adjusted his glasses, looking closely at the screen.

'Interesting. Very interesting. Tania, is there a problem with the monitor?'

The intern twisted some dials, her expression a mixture of confusion and curiosity. 'No, they were fine when I tested them earlier.' She tapped on the screen, which made no difference. Bruce walked over, looking intently over Dr Lomas' shoulder.

'Is that his amygdala?'

'It is.' Dr Lomas made some brief notes on a notepad. 'It's not surprising that that's the affected area, but I've never seen anything like that glow before.'

'That's like the light that came from the box, when it first happened.' Tony joined them at the monitor. 'It was that same color, with that same pulsing light.' He looked at Bruce. 'What's it doing to him?'

'The amygdala is, I suppose you could call it the fear centre of the brain?' Bruce looked at the doctor, who nodded and continued.

'As Dr Banner says, the amygdala is part of the hindbrain that processes fear. It's a little more complicated than that, and we'll get more information from the blood tests, but it looks as though something has, if you like, turned the volume up to full on his amygdala.' He hesitated, looking back at the screen. 'I hate to attribute anything to magic, it seems so unscientific, but I don't know what else to call this.'

'I prefer to think of it as science we're not yet advanced enough to understand.' Bruce gave him a distracted smile. 'As long as we can do something about it, that's all I care about.'

'I have some ideas, but let's get the tests completed first.' Dr Lomas leaned over to the microphone. 'Steve, I'm going to ask you to do a few things for me. Some of them might seem a little odd, but bear with me. First, can you recite the alphabet?'

'Sure.' Steve began to recite, and as he did so an area on the left side of his brain became highlighted in red on the screen. The doctor nodded, pleased. 'Okay, that's Wernicke's area, as I'd expect. And that's a normal image.' He gestured at the yellow glow. 'So this seems to be a real phenomenon; it's in the area I'd expect and the rest of the scan is functioning as predicted.'

The tests continued, with Steve reciting nursery rhymes, counting backwards in sevens from a hundred, and listening to pieces of familiar and unfamiliar music. Dr Lomas and Bruce conferred throughout it all, making notes and occasionally adjusting the monitor display. The yellow glow in the area of the brain that the doctor had pointed out persisted through every task, occasionally growing more intense if the scanner made an unexpected noise or the doctor's voice startled Steve. Tony watched it, willing it to fade away, but nothing seemed to alter its slow pulsation.

'Bruce, that glow in his, what did you call it?'

'His amygdala.' Bruce turned to face Tony.

'Yeah, that. Does that mean that he's scared all the time? Even when he looks like he's doing okay? I mean, I know he's fragile, but this is baseline stuff, right?'

Bruce sighed. 'Well, this is an unfamiliar situation, but you can see here, under the glow?' He pointed with the end of his pen. 'There's a high level of activity underlying it, much higher than anything else going on in his brain. I'd say he's hiding it well, but yes, he's pretty much terrified, Tony.' Bruce turned away abruptly, looking at the screen to hide his expression. Tony swallowed hard, walking over to the glass panel and looking across at Steve as he lay very still on the table, only his legs visible outside the scanner. Thor had been right; this was a whole new kind of bravery. Steve was fighting his own battle now, perhaps harder than he had ever fought in his life.

'Okay, Steve, we're going to try something new.' Dr Lomas' voice cut through Tony's thoughts, and he turned to look at him as he spoke reassuringly through the microphone. 'We're going to ask your team to speak to you, one at a time, and see how you respond to their voices. Are you ready, or do you need a break?'

'I'm good. Just don't let Tony talk about his suits, or we'll be here all day.'

Tony grinned, startled into a laugh. Steve's sense of humor was intact, at least. Perhaps that, as much as anything was what was getting him through this.

'Hey, Cap.' Clint's voice made Tony look up. Clint was holding the microphone nervously, looking around at his teammates. 'Ha. I don't know what to say. Should have started with Stark.' He cleared his throat self-consciously. ‘Listen; hang in there, okay? I'm shit at this stuff, but, we've got your back.' He blinked hard before continuing, his tone brighter. 'Hey, did I ever tell you this joke I read about Sherlock Holmes? I figured you'd get the reference right? So, Holmes and Watson are camping in a field....'

'Look at that.' Bruce's low tones as he spoke to Dr Lomas called Tony's attention to the monitor, and he walked up behind the two doctors as Bruce continued. 'The glow's fading. Not gone, but fading. And the activity in the amygdala is reduced.'

'Clint, stop for a second.' Dr Lomas held up his hand. Clint stopped mid-sentence, and Tony watched as the glow flared up again on the screen. Dr Lomas scribbled something in his notes, and then looked up. 'Okay, carry on.'

'Sorry, Cap, Doc here is trying to ruin my comic timing. So, anyway, Holmes says to Watson....'

The glow on the monitor faded again as Clint started to speak, and Bruce gave a wide grin.

'What's going on?' Tony demanded, taking another step to look more closely at the screen.

'His amygdala activity is settling down when Clint speaks to him.' Bruce's smile was genuine, making small creases around his eyes. 'You know he's wanted to be close to the team all this time? This is why. He feels safe.'

Tony opened his mouth to respond, and found that he couldn't speak around the lump in his throat. Bruce rested a hand on his shoulder, his eyes warm.

'....and Holmes says, no, Watson, someone's stolen the fucking tent!' Clint finished triumphantly. He turned, and saw the expressions on the team's faces. 'What? It's a good joke!'

'Give that here, Clint, and go and look at the monitor.' Natasha took the microphone firmly from him, and continued smoothly where Clint had left off. 'Sorry about him, Cap. There's apparently no cure for his problem, we've been looking for years. There was one time, in Latveria....'

As she continued, the glow on the monitor remained dim. Again, Dr Lomas stopped her mid-sentence, and within seconds the yellow light was back. She passed the microphone to Bruce and Thor in turn, and each time their voices lessened the activity in the affected part of the brain. Thor was beaming as he handed the microphone to Tony, clearly delighted with the visible effect of his voice on his friend.

'Hey there, Cap,' Tony began. He had to work to keep the emotion out of his voice for the first few words. 'So, what do you think to life in a high-tech tube? If it's got a built-in bar, I'm getting in there with you. Although I guess it could get a bit cramped, I -' He broke off, catching a glimpse of the monitor. The glow was almost invisible as he spoke, but there was clear evidence of heightened activity in an area above the amygdala. He took a step closer to listen to Bruce and Dr Lomas' suddenly animated conversation. 'Heightened activity in the dorsal caudate body and the right ventral tegmental area -' the psychiatrist was saying. Bruce looked up as Tony stopped speaking.

'What -' Tony began, but Bruce shook his head.

'Later. Carry on.'

'Sorry, Cap, the medic geeks are geeking about something. Where were we? Ah, yes, the bar. Now, if I built a high-tech capsule you could lie down in, it'd have Scotch on tap. And it'd probably fly as well. In fact, we could fit a bottle of Scotch into the Mark Seven, what do you reckon?'

He didn't miss the raised eyebrow that Dr Lomas aimed at Bruce, or the slight nod that Bruce gave him in return, but he chose to ignore it, chattering on about nothing until the doctor approached him, taking the microphone back with a smile that looked far too knowing for Tony's liking.

'Okay, Steve, I think we're done. We've got some good readings, I think we can work with that. If you'll just lie still for a minute more, Tania will power down the machine.' He looked around at his intern, then frowned as she turned a dial on the control panel. 'Tania, what are you doing?'

'Just one more test, Doc Lomas, while we're here.' Without waiting for a response, she flipped a switch, and a crackly recording began over the loudspeaker in both rooms.

_'There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York. I gotta put her in the water._

It was Steve's voice, unmistakable even over the static of the old recording. Tony's stomach turned over as he realized, first among them all, what this had to be.

‘Shut it off! The hell are you doing?’ Tony lunged for the control panel, but the intern blocked him with her body, kicking a chair towards him so he would have to dodge around it.

 _'Please don't do this. W-we have time. We can work it out.'_ That was Peggy Carter's voice, her cool English tones thickened with tears, and now the others were moving too, but the damage had been done. On the monitor, the yellow glow was growing brighter, more intense than ever, dazzling Tony so that he had to shield his eyes as he fought his way towards the controls.

'Stop it! Doc, stop her, she's going to hurt him!'

 _'Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice.'_ Steve's voice on the recording was calm, but it was overlaid with tearing sobs of panic over the speakers, coming from the next room.

'Peggy....' The rest of the recording was drowned out by shouting as the room filled with yellow light from the monitor, too bright to bear. Natasha had the woman on the floor, her arm bent up behind her back, wrestling the controls from her grip and throwing them to Dr Lomas. He hit the mute button, but it was already too late. The monitor exploded in shards of glass, smoke pouring from behind the screen, and Steve was screaming, screaming as though his soul were being ripped from his body. Tony turned, running to his side, but Thor's strong arms closed around him, lifting him off the floor. He lashed out with his elbow, driving it into Thor's sternum, but he held on, and suddenly Bruce was there, gripping his shoulders tightly, his own fight for control clear in his face.

'Tony! Tony, you can't go in there! It's a _magnetic_ resonance imager, a magnet; it'll rip the arc reactor out of your chest! Tony, please!'

It was the plea that finally got to him; the way Bruce's hands shook on his shoulders and the tremble in his voice. Tony went still suddenly, all the fight leaving him.

'Steve -'

'Clint's with him.' Bruce gestured across the room where Clint had dropped a small pile of metallic objects; his keys, his wallet, even his steel toe capped boots were kicked off. Tony could hear Clint's voice over the speakers, clearly shaken but keeping up a constant stream of reassurance over Steve's sobs of terror. Through the glass panel, he could see Clint standing over Steve, his hands resting firmly on Steve's hips, the rest of his body still hidden inside the scanner.

'Hey, Cap, you with me? You need to stay still for just a second, okay, we need to shut the scanner down so you can get out, and we can't move the table if you're fighting it. That's it, I've got you, just relax for a second and we'll have you out of there.'

Steve said something that Tony couldn't catch, but he saw Clint smile. 'Tony's right next door, they won't let him in here, probably in case he breaks something, you know what he's like. I'm here, though, I'm not leaving you. Just breathe, Cap, okay? Just breathe.'

Tony lifted a hand to his face, and then looked in detached surprise at the wetness on his fingertips. He was suddenly glad of Thor's arms still around him; his legs felt shaky and weak with shock. He leaned heavily against Thor, belatedly aware of Dr Lomas' raised voice behind him.

'....the bloody hell do you think you were doing? See the damage you've done? Have you forgotten the first principle of the Hippocratic Oath? _First, do no harm!_ That damn well looks like harm to me!'

The intern looked away, her face set in a stubborn scowl. Natasha still held her with an arm twisted at a painful angle behind her back, and she tried to tug away as she replied in sullen tones.

'It's okay for you; you've made your reputation. This was the perfect thesis, and you were going to waste the opportunity to study him because you were scared of upsetting him?'

'He's not a lab rat!' Dr Lomas' blue eyes were flashing with anger. 'He's my patient, and yours!'

'Get her out of here, Tasha.' Bruce's voice was shaking slightly with controlled anger. 'She's seriously pissing me off here, and Cap doesn't need the other guy smashing the place up on top of everything else.'

Natasha nodded grimly. 'You're coming with me, сука. You've broken about three laws that I can think of off the top of my head, and I'm sure Fury will come up with a few more.'

The woman started to protest, but Natasha bent her arm further up her back.

'Shut up.' She walked her out of the room, using her twisted arm as leverage, and Tony turned away, looking back through the glass panel. Steve was out of the scanner now, huddled on the floor, Clint's arms around him. Steve was still sobbing brokenly, gasping for breath through his tears. Clint caught Tony's eye through the glass, and mouthed 'Okay?', nodding at Bruce. Tony looked over; Bruce was still shaking with anger, but his breathing was calm and there was no hint of green in his eyes. Bruce caught him looking and ran a shaking hand through his hair.

'I'm okay. Fucking furious, but okay. I've got it under control.'

Tony didn't insult him by asking if he was sure. He nodded back at Clint, who managed a fleeting smile, carding his fingers through Steve's hair.

'Hey, Cap? You're okay. You're okay, I've got you. Just breathe.' He held him for a long moment, waiting until his sobs quietened a little, and then straightened up, looking into his face.

'You want to get out of here? The others are just next door, we'll go and join them, right? And then we'll get you home.'

Steve nodded against his shoulder, and Clint stood, pulling him to his feet, one arm still around him.

'I can open the door, right? This thing's off?'

'Yes, go ahead. It's powered down.' Dr Lomas' voice was subdued, his anger still clear in his tone.

Clint pushed the door open, and Tony was there before Steve took a step through it, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. Steve was still sobbing quietly, and he hid his face against Tony's shoulder as Tony pulled him into a chair, perching beside him on the armrest so that he could hold him tightly, one hand rubbing small circles over his back, the other carding gently through his hair. Steve was shuddering against him, his tears soaking into Tony's shirt, and Tony closed his eyes, brushing his lips lightly over Steve's hair.

'It's okay, Steve. You're okay, you're safe, I've got you.'

'I -' Steve's voice broke, and he swallowed hard before trying again, his voice shaking and interspersed with sobs. 'I thought it was happening again. I was back there, Tony, really back there, and I can't, I can't lose you like I lost Bucky and Peggy and, I, I can't -'

He broke off, unable to speak, and Tony held him tightly, blinking hard against the sudden burning in his own eyes.

'Steve, listen to me. Listen. You're not going to lose me, I'm not going anywhere, and I won't let anything happen to you. I will find you, Steve. Whatever happens, wherever you are, I will find you and bring you home if you're lost. It won't happen again. Trust me, okay? You trust me?'

Steve nodded, his breath coming in deep, shuddering sobs, and Tony held him close for long minutes until his breathing slowed and he relaxed into his arms. At last, a movement beside the chair made Tony look up, and he tightened his arm around Steve as Dr Lomas knelt in front of him, laying a hand softly on his forearm.

'Steve, I am so sorry. It doesn't make it better, I know, but I promise you, I didn't know she was going to do that. None of this was intended to hurt you.'

Steve tried a smile as he turned to look at the doctor, but it faltered and died as his breath caught in his throat. Still, he reached out, resting a shaking hand on the doctor's shoulder.

'I know. Bruce trusts you, and you don't seem to have been smashed yet so I'm guessing he still does. That's good enough for me.' He hesitated, and then looked away as more tears spilled over his cheeks. 'Just, tell me you found something?'

'We did.' Dr Lomas' voice was steady, reassuring. 'I'm going to need some time to look at the results, and I think some of it is going to be more your field than mine, but I think there are some things we can try from a medical point of view. For now, though, I think you need to be somewhere you feel safe.'

'Damn right,' Tony cut in. 'Look, doc, I know it's not your fault, but right now he needs not to be here. I'm going to take him home.'

The doctor sighed. 'I just wish I'd had more time to see what she was really like before this happened. I knew she was driven, but -' He broke off, shaking his head. 'But you're right. Home is exactly where he needs to be.' He looked up, meeting Steve's eyes as he continued. 'I'd offer you a sedative to help you sleep, but I understand they don't work so well with your metabolism.'

Steve shook his head. 'I don't want to be drugged. I hate the feeling. I'd rather - I feel safer when I know what's going on around me, when I can wake up if I need to.'

'Understood.' Dr Lomas got to his feet, gathering his notes from where they had been scattered over the floor in the struggle. 'If it's okay with you, I'll bring the results to you as soon as I have everything together tomorrow. The bloodwork's going to take a few hours yet.'

Tony nodded, fighting the urge to answer sharply. He knew he was being unfair; the doctor was almost as shaken as the rest of the team, but right now he wanted to get Steve away from anything to do with this lab. 

'Sure, I'll tell JARVIS we're expecting you.' He turned back to Steve, holding him close against his shoulder. 'Come on, Cap. Let's get you home.'

***

Steve leaned against Tony in the car on the way home, eyes closed, quiet now but still shaking against Tony's shoulder, tears slipping silently down his face. Tony held him close, stroking his arm lightly, the team sitting close by in silent support. Natasha looked utterly unruffled after her brief tussle with the intern, her hair still neat and her make-up in place, and Tony couldn't help but smile at the faint look of satisfaction on her face.

The sky was darkening now, the streetlamps lighting the roads with an early evening glow. The afternoon's activities had taken far longer than Tony had anticipated, and as the car pulled into the garage, he turned to Steve with a light squeeze of his arm.

'You hungry, Cap?'

Steve shook his head, looking down at the floor, his voice very quiet when he answered. 'Not really. I just - I think I just need to rest.'

'Sure.' Tony kept his voice light. 'I'll come with you; think I'll give dinner a miss this evening. Clint nearly finished me off with his epic sandwich tower earlier.'

Clint grinned. 'I live to serve.'

Steve looked up, meeting Tony's eyes, his face still streaked with tears. 'Are you sure? I don't want to keep you from what you want to do -'

'Lucky that what I want to do is spend the evening with you, then,' Tony told him firmly. 'Come on, let's get you inside. I'm going to grab a quick shower, okay? I'll be with you in a few minutes.'

Steve nodded. 'I think I could use a shower, too. I hate the smell of hospitals.'

Tony pushed the elevator button for the main floor, and the team stepped inside. 'I'll see you up on your floor, then. You'll be okay?'

Steve nodded, attempting a smile, but a tear spilled over his cheek and he turned away, scrubbing at his face with the cuff of his shirt. Tony tightened his hand around Steve's arm for a moment, then stepped away as the doors slid open on the main floor. Bruce followed him out, resting a companionable hand on his shoulder as the elevator doors closed and Tony leaned against the wall with a sigh, rubbing his hands over his face.

'Well, that was a total fuck-up.'

Bruce sighed. 'I'm so sorry, Tony. I can't believe she did that. I've known Doc Lomas since we formed the Initiative, I figured we could trust him, but I didn't count on him having an intern.'

Tony nodded. 'That's it. We're only involving people we know personally from now on. No friends-of-friends, no employees, nothing. Steve's our first priority.'

'I know, Tony.' Bruce gave him a small smile. 'Agreed, on all counts.'

'At least we've got some results now.' Tony ran a hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up at odd angles. 'I just wish I knew what to do about them. And what they all mean.' He stopped for a moment, frowning. 'Bruce - before it all went wrong today, something happened when I spoke to Steve.'

Bruce looked at him carefully for a long moment. 'Yes.'

'Different parts of his brain lit up when he heard my voice.'

'Yes.'

'Bruce -'

Bruce sighed. 'Look, Tony, this isn't an exact science, okay? It's not like reading a mind -'

'I get that, okay? I get it.' Tony broke in, his voice raised a little. 'Just - just tell me, okay? I need to know, if it affects him.'

'Okay. Okay.' Bruce held up his hands in a placating gesture. 'Those areas where we saw increased activity are called the dorsal caudate body and the right ventral tegmental area. They - there are some studies that suggest that those areas are connected with love. Romantic love and attraction, specifically.' He paused for a long moment, letting that sink in. 'It's not proof of anything, Tony. But it's suggestive.'

Tony looked at him for a long moment. 'Steve's brain scan showed he's in love with me.'

'That's not what I said! I said -'

'Some studies suggest, not proof, I know.' Tony waved his hands impatiently. 'I - Bruce, what do I do now? You know how I feel about him, but I can't -'

Bruce rested his hands on Tony's upper arms, stilling him for a moment. 'You do exactly what you have been doing. You already knew he had strong feelings for you, whatever those feelings were. And you knew how you felt about him, and you decided not to do anything about it while he's vulnerable. Nothing's changed. We get this fixed - and we _will_ get it fixed - and then the two of you can work this out between you.' He smiled, then ruffled Tony's hair affectionately, stepping back. 'And right now, you need to get in the shower and get back to him. If today's proven anything, it's how much he needs you. All of us, really, but especially you.'

Tony nodded, managing a smile. 'You're right, of course you are, you're always right, except about that gamma probe that time, I knew it was going to explode, and did you listen -'

'Tony. Go.' Bruce gave him a gentle shove. 'Nothing's changed. Steve needs you.'

Tony took a deep breath. 'Yeah. Thanks, Bruce.'

'Any time.' Bruce pushed Tony into the elevator. 'Shower.'

Tony smiled to himself as the elevator doors closed. Bruce was right. Maybe he had a lot to think about, maybe when all this was over he and Steve would have a lot to talk about, but it could wait. Right now, he had other priorities.

***

Tony pushed open the door to Steve's bedroom, still towelling his hair dry. His shower had been the quickest he could make it, with just a quick lather of spearmint-scented shower gel over his body and hair, but Steve had still gotten there before him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his blond hair still damp, dressed in a thin white T-shirt and loose grey slacks. His head was in his hands, but he looked up as Tony walked into the room. His eyes were red-rimmed and his lashes dark and wet, and a tear spilled down his cheek as Tony took a step towards him.

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I can't stop,' he choked out, and Tony covered the space between them in a few strides, sitting beside him on the bed and wrapping him in his arms. Steve clung to him, his breath coming in short gasps, hiding his face against Tony's neck. His tears were hot and wet against Tony's skin, and Tony held him tightly, one hand tangled in his damp hair.

'Hey. Hey, Steve, it's okay.'

'I'm sorry -'

'Don't be. Don't be sorry. God knows it's about time you let some of this go.' He kissed Steve's hair, breathing in the faint, clean scent of Ivory soap, and held him close as he leaned against him. Steve was clinging to him tightly, his hands clutching at Tony's shirt, half collapsed against him. Tony shifted position slightly, and then pulled away a little, brushing the tears from Steve's cheeks with his thumbs.

'Come here. Let's lie down, okay? I'll stay with you.' Steve looked at him with wide eyes for a moment, and then nodded, curling up beside Tony, letting him pull the comforter over them both. Tony held him tightly, stroking his hair as Steve clung to him, sobbing brokenly into his T-shirt, tears soaking through the thin fabric.

'JARVIS, lights off,' Steve choked out, and Tony ran a hand through his hair softly.

'You okay with the lights out?'

'Don't - don't want you to see me like this.' Tony could barely hear him through his sobs, muffled against his shirt. He brushed his lips lightly over Steve's hair, running a hand softly over his back.

'Whatever you want. But you've got nothing to be ashamed of, you know that, right?'

Steve didn't answer, but his hands clenched tighter in the fabric of Tony's shirt. Tony held him close for a long moment, and then pulled back, lifting Steve's chin with a finger. Steve closed his eyes, his face wet with tears.

'Hey. Hey, Steve, look at me.'

Steve opened his eyes reluctantly, tears spilling over his cheeks. His eyelashes were dark and wet, and his eyes looked dark blue in the half light from the arc reactor. Tony brushed the tears from his cheeks as he spoke softly.

'You do not need to be ashamed of this. You've been through more than most of us can imagine, and we've all expected you to just carry on through it all. Nobody really asked how you were feeling, and that was really fucking stupid of us.' He rested his forehead against Steve's as he continued. 'You were so alone, and I don't think any of us realised.'

Steve seemed to shatter completely at his words, gasping for breath between his sobs, and Tony wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close against his chest and holding him tightly, whispering half-formed reassurances into his hair. Steve clung to him, his whole body shuddering, and Tony ran his hand softly over his back, trying to soothe him enough to let him catch his breath.

'I've got you, Steve. I'm here. You're not alone, you never have to be alone again.' Tony barely knew what he was saying, but it seemed to calm Steve, and his breathing slowly evened out as Tony held him. He didn't lift his head from Tony's chest, but at last he spoke, his voice hoarse and broken.

'Tony. Don't leave me.'

Tony pressed his lips to the top of his head, tightening his arms around him. 'No chance of that. You're stuck with me, Rogers.'

Steve shook his head. 'I can't lose you. I lost Bucky, I couldn't save him, he fell and it was my fault, and then, then I woke up and everyone was gone, Tony, everyone. I can't, please don't let me lose you like that. You're all I have.'

'Hey, hey, back up there a second. First, Bucky was not your fault. I've read the files, there was nothing you could have done.' Tony smoothed his hand over Steve's hair softly as he spoke. 'We can't always save everyone, Steve. It sucks, but it's not your fault.'

'But he was right there; if I'd just been faster -'

'Steve, Bucky knew what he was doing. He was an adult, he went to war knowing the risks.' Tony spoke gently, but his tone was firm. 'He knew you couldn't protect him from everything, and I'm damn sure he didn't want you to, either. He made his own choices, Steve. That's what you were fighting for, wasn't it?'

There was a moment of silence, and then Steve nodded, his shoulders still shaking with silent tears.

'Okay. Okay, good. As for the rest of it - I am never going to leave you, not if I can help it. I know we take risks, we all do, but I have the team around me, not to mention the most advanced armor in the world keeping me safe. I don't plan to go anywhere.'

Steve gave a shaky sigh. 'Going to hold you to that.'

'You do that.' Tony smiled. 'And I won't let anything happen to you, either. What happened before, with the ice, that's not going to happen again.'

Tony stopped as Steve began to sob softly again at his words. 'Hey. Have you been worried about that?'

Steve nodded, his voice choked as he replied. 'Every time we have a battle; every time, I imagine that you'll find me and you'll all think I'm dead, and then I'll wake up in another seventy years and you'll all be gone -’ Whatever he was going to say was lost in sobs, and Tony held him tightly.

'Okay, that is not going to happen. I have the most advanced technology in existence right here in the Tower. If you're going to wake up, you're going to do it here, with me, none of this seventy-year nap garbage. And don't think I won't find you, either. I'm Tony Stark. Genius, remember? Wherever you are, I'll find you and bring you home.'

Steve nodded against his shoulder, lost for words. Tony held him close, stroking his hair softly until his breathing settled and the tension in his back relaxed. He lay quietly in Tony's arms, loose-limbed with exhaustion. Tony closed his eyes, drifting in a half-doze.

'Thank you, Tony.' Steve's voice was very quiet, but it pulled Tony back from the brink of sleep.

'No need. I -' Tony hesitated. 'I care about you, Steve. You know that, right?'

He felt Steve smile against his shoulder. 'If I didn't, I'd be an idiot. You've been amazing through all this. I don't know what I'd have done without you.'

Tony smiled. 'Hey, you'll make me blush.' He shifted position, running one hand over his chest. 'And you're sleeping in the wet patch. I'm far too much of a gentleman to let you do that.'

Steve laughed, soft but genuine. 'Don't try catching me out with innuendo, Stark. I was in the Army, remember.' He frowned suddenly. 'Although, I have soaked your shirt, haven't I? I'm sorry, Tony.'

'No problem. Can't be too comfortable sleeping on there, though. Give me a second.' Tony sat up, pulling the shirt over his head and throwing it onto the floor. He lay down again, pulling Steve close to him, letting him rest his head on his chest. Steve brought his hand up, his fingertips brushing the scars around the arc reactor.

'You okay with this?' His voice was very soft.

'I'm fine. I trust you.' He really did, he realised as he spoke. He felt completely safe with Steve, even with the arc reactor totally exposed and his scars all too visible in the soft blue light.

'Thank you.' Steve seemed to realise the significance of the extent of Tony's trust, reaching up with his other hand to touch his cheek softly. Tony said nothing, but smiled, turning his face into Steve's hand. Steve wasn't the only one learning how to be vulnerable tonight.

***

'Morning, Bruce.' Tony greeted his friend through a yawn as he walked into the kitchen. Bruce looked up from the counter where he was beating pancake batter.

'Hey, Tony. How's Steve?'

'Sleeping. Think he's finally managed to exhaust himself enough to get some proper rest.'

'That's a good thing, I guess. Except that you look worn out too.' Bruce filled a mug from the coffee percolator, adding a generous spoon of sugar and setting it on the table in front of Tony.

'Ah, I'm okay. He's finally talking about this stuff, which is the main thing.' Tony smiled up at Bruce, leaning into his hand as his friend squeezed his shoulder. 'Thanks. Caffeine is good.'

'The Tony Stark mantra.' Bruce smiled back, going back to his pancake batter. 'Doc Lomas called; he's coming over this morning. He's got something he thinks might help. Think Steve will cope with seeing him?'

'I think so.' Tony took a sip of his coffee, savouring the bitter-sweet taste on his tongue. 'He doesn't blame him. Not his fault he had a sociopath for an intern.'

'Good. I think he feels pretty bad about it.' Bruce poured a measure of batter into the pan, producing a loud sizzle. 'I just hope it didn't do too much damage.'

'I think it actually did some good, in some ways.' Tony leaned back in his chair to look at Bruce. 'Not that that's an excuse for what happened, but you know Steve. I don't think he'd ever have told me half the stuff he did last night if he hadn't been so vulnerable.' He sighed. 'We kind of let him down, Bruce. He hasn't been okay for a long time, even before this.'

'Yeah, I figured.' Bruce sighed. 'We're all messed up in our own ways, aren't we?'

'One happy little family,' Tony replied dryly.

Bruce quirked a smile, flipping the pancake with a flick of his wrist. 'Well, it seems to work, somehow.'

'Yeah, it does.' Tony smiled down at the table. This was the closest thing to family he had ever had, in many ways. Dysfunctional, yes, but it worked. What else did they need?

'Sir, there is a Dr Lomas at the main door requesting access.' JARVIS' cool tones cut into his thoughts.

'Sure, send him up. He'll have to take us as he finds us.' Tony looked down at his loose sleep pants and Steve's T-shirt that he had grabbed from the drawer this morning, only now realising that it was emblazoned with a cartoon Iron Man in mid-flight. 'Hey, who bought him this? Did I buy him this?'

Tony was interrupted as the elevator doors slid open and the doctor walked into the room, hair tousled and shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep.

'Doc Lomas. Good morning.' Bruce stepped forward to shake his hand.

'Please, call me Joe.' The doctor took Bruce's hand a little absently, looking around. 'How is he?'

'He's okay, I think,' Tony told him. 'He had a rough night, but he's sleeping now -'

'He _was_ sleeping.' Steve's amused tone from the doorway made them all look round, surprised. 'And then he smelt Bruce's pancakes, and was lured to the kitchen. Any left?'

'Of course.' Bruce gave him a smile, gesturing at the chair. 'Sit down, I'll make you some.'

Steve turned to the doctor with a smile. 'Hey, doc. Good to see you.'

'Steve, good morning. How are you feeling?'

'Better, actually. A lot better.' Steve looked surprised at his own words.

The doctor nodded. 'Given the results of your bloodwork, I'm not surprised. You had exceptionally high levels of cortisol in your blood. Again, not surprising; cortisol production is linked to amygdala activity.' He smiled kindly at Steve. 'And when we cry, we release cortisol in our tears. It's a pressure valve, of sorts.'

Steve blushed, but he was smiling. Tony reached over and ruffled his hair. 'Told you.'

'Anyway, the good news is there may be something we can do to help, at least a little. There's a CRH receptor antagonist in clinical trials at the moment - basically, it blocks the action of cortisol releasing hormone at receptor level.' Bruce was nodding, and Tony caught his eye, reassured. 'It won't be perfect, and it's not a long-term solution, but we can try it.'

'Bruce?' Steve was looking over at him, and Bruce smiled.

'It makes sense. It shouldn't have the side effects of sedating you, and we can titrate the dose to effect. If you're willing to, I say give it a go.'

'That's good enough for me,' Steve replied immediately, and Tony smiled, seeing Bruce flush with pleasure at the trust in Steve's voice.

'I'll leave these with you, then.' Dr Lomas slid a bottle of small tablets over to Steve. 'One a day, until this is resolved'. He hesitated. 'And - I want to apologise again for yesterday. If I'd known -'

Steve shook his head. 'You're not the first person to trust someone who doesn't deserve it. I'm not going to hold that against you.'

The doctor nodded. 'Thank you.' He stood abruptly, pushing away his chair. 'And now, I'll leave you to your breakfast.'

'You're not having pancakes?' Steve's tone was kind. 'Bruce will be mortally offended.'

Dr Lomas hesitated, then sat down again as Bruce set a plate down in front of him. 'No arguments,' Bruce told him firmly. 'You help the team, you get pancakes.'

Dr Lomas laughed. 'Who am I to argue with official Avengers policy? Pass the maple syrup, Steve.'

***

'He should be here soon.' Tony checked his watch for the fifth time in a quarter hour. Bruce bumped his knee with his leg.

'Relax He'll be here. A wizard arrives precisely when he means to, remember?'

'Yeah, well. I hope he means to be on time, then.' He glanced over at Steve, who sat close beside him, pale but composed. 'It's time we got this done.'

'Sir, your visitor is requesting access to the elevator.' JARVIS spoke right on cue, and Tony got to his feet, relief mixing with tension around his eyes.

'Good. Send him up.'

He turned to Steve, resting a hand lightly on his shoulder. 'Okay?'

Steve gave him a small smile. 'I'm good. I'm glad we're making some progress. I - I'll be glad when this is over.' He looked down, and Tony squeezed his shoulder.

'Me too, Cap. Me too. But until then, we've got your back.'

Steve smiled, about to speak, but stopped as the elevator doors slid open and a tall man stepped out. Tony had expected swirling robes in dramatic colors, but instead, the man wore faded blue jeans and a soft sweater in cable-knit grey wool. He was slim, with dark hair and a beard not dissimilar to Tony's, but he carried himself with a dignity that belied his casual clothing.

'Dr Strange. Thank you for coming.'

Tony stepped forward, holding out his hand, and the newcomer took it and shook it warmly.

'Call me Steven. And it was no trouble at all.' He turned to Steve, who stood behind Tony, only the slight trembling in his hands betraying his nervousness. Dr Strange rested one hand on his shoulder, smiling.

'Steve. It's good to see you.'

'Not as good as it is to see you,' Steve told him in heartfelt tones. 'The team have been wonderful, more than I could have asked for, but magic is beyond our capabilities. Even Thor has never seen anything like this before.'

'Well, that's what I'm here for.' Dr Strange's voice was confident, reassuring, and Tony felt himself relaxing. He had been unsure about calling the Sorceror Supreme, struggling against an instinctive distrust of magic, but as he watched hope flare in Steve's eyes he knew he had made the right decision.

'So, where do we start?' Steve stepped forward, only a slight tremor in his hands betraying his anxiety.

'I need to scan you for magical effects.' Dr Strange raised a hand as Steve's eyes widened with poorly-hidden fear. 'Nothing invasive. You don't have to do anything; you won't even feel anything. Just sit there on the couch, I'll do the rest.' He smiled at Tony as he continued. 'Tony, would you sit with him? I understand that this might feel rather intimidating, especially given the current circumstances.'

'Of course,' Tony replied instantly. He smiled reassuringly at Steve, wrapping an arm around his waist and guiding him over to the couch. Steve leaned against him, trembling slightly, and Dr Strange smiled at him reassuringly as he pulled up a small footstool and sat on it, directly facing Steve, close enough to touch.

'Don't worry. It'll be done before you know it.'

Steve nodded, and then closed his eyes, leaning trustingly against Tony. Dr Strange considered him for a long moment, and then raised his hand, palm out, moving it slowly over Steve's head and body, never quite touching him. His hand was surrounded by a pale green light, the color of new leaves in spring, and Steve seemed to breathe more easily as the light touched him. Emanating from Steve's body, strongest around his head, was the same yellow glow that Tony had seen from the strange machine, and again on the MRI scan in Dr Lomas' office. Across the room, Thor leaned forward in his chair, clearly fascinated as he watched the play of light on Steve's skin.

After what seemed like only minutes, Dr Strange sat back, lowering his hand. He rested a hand lightly on Steve's knee, and Steve startled, his eyes opening wide. Dr Strange gave him a reassuring smile.

'It's done, Steve. That's it.'

'I - I didn't feel - that is, it felt good.' Steve's tone was full of surprise and relief, and Tony smiled, tightening his arm around his waist.

'I'm glad.' Dr Strange's eyes were warm. Tony couldn't help liking this man; he had been prepared to find him overbearing and pompous, but his manner with Steve was gentle and reassuring.

'Did you find anything?' Tony broke in, not quite able to keep the hope out of his voice.

'I did. The magical signature feels.... familiar, but I can't place it. Do you have the machine that did this to Steve?'

Tony nodded, getting to his feet. 'It's downstairs in the workshop. Will you come down with me?'

Dr Strange stood, pushing aside the stool where he had been sitting. 'I will. Steve, will you join us, or would you prefer to stay here?'

Steve glanced at Tony, and then answered in a quiet voice. 'I - I'll come. If that's okay.'

'Of course it is.' Tony took his hand, glancing at Dr Strange as if daring him to comment, but the sorceror appeared not to notice. 'Guys? You coming?'

'I am.' Bruce stood, and Thor was close behind him.

'Me, too. I know little of Midgardian magic, but if I can assist you, I will.'

Natasha and Clint followed wordlessly as Tony led the way to the elevator, and he smiled to himself as the team closed ranks around Steve. This had been a harrowing experience for all of them, but it had brought the team closer together than he could have imagined at the start.

The elevator ride was smooth and short, and Tony stepped out, leading the way, as the doors slid open at the workshop level. He held up his hand, completing the fingerprint and retinal scan that allowed the workshop doors to open. DUM-E trundled over to inspect the new visitors, and Tony hid a smile as Thor petted him like a dog, the little robot's camera bumping against his leg as he basked in the attention.

'It's here.' Tony's voice was tense as he approached the machine. He had spent countless hours down here, going over every inch of the damned thing, and was still no closer to an answer than he had been when this whole thing began. The hope in Steve's eyes as he watched Dr Strange approach the hated artifact was almost too much to bear, and Tony tightened his grip on his hand, trying to convey reassurance with his touch. Steve glanced at him, and Tony gave him a small smile, rubbing his thumb lightly over the back of his fingers.

Dr Strange inspected the machine closely from all angles, and then lifted his hands carefully, holding them over it as he had with Steve. Tony frowned; there was no answering light this time, only the green glow around Dr Strange's hands. Steve's grip on his hand tightened, and he stepped closer to him, their hips touching, as they watched in silence. At last, Dr Strange turned, frustration written clearly in his face.

'This is an ingenious design. The magical component must have been very small; I suspect it burnt itself out as the spell fired. This is merely an.... amplifier, of sorts.'

'So there's no magical trace on the machine?' Tony tried to keep the despair out of his voice, but he felt Steve tense beside him.

'Not that I can see on a preliminary scan.' He held up a hand as he continued. 'That doesn't mean there's nothing to find. With your permission, Tony, I'll widen the examination. It's possible that by now any magical remnants have diffused some distance from the machine.'

'But surely there'd be some -' Tony stopped, swallowing his questions. He knew nothing about magic; this was Strange's field, and if he couldn't help Steve himself he damn well wasn't going to get in the way of someone who could. 'Go ahead. Anything you need.'

Strange nodded, holding out his hands, moving slowly around the room. Tony slipped his arm around Steve's waist, holding him close against his side as they watched in silence. Dr Strange seemed to linger over everything in the lab, the green light glowing steadily from his palms, and the clock ticked long minutes away as he examined every corner. Tony was almost losing hope when Strange's hands flared suddenly with a glow of sickly yellow, and his heart seemed to tighten in his chest as Steve shuddered in relief.

Dr Strange pulled a silk cloth from the pocket of his jeans, using it to scoop up a small object from the workshop counter. He brought it over to Tony, holding it carefully, and Steve recoiled as he approached. Tony let him go, and he took several steps backwards, backing into Clint, who wrapped a comforting arm around his waist as they watched.

'This is it.' Dr Strange held out the cloth, in which lay a small, twisted band of metal. 'This has the same magical signature as the spell affecting Steve. It's unmistakeable, very distinctive. This must have become detached from the machine somehow.

Tony shook his head, fighting down irritation at the implied criticism of his workshop protocols. 'No. This has nothing to do with that machine. I brought it home to analyse it after our last battle. It came from one of the DoomBots...'

He broke off, eyes wide. 'Dr Doom. It has to be. If that magical signature is as distinctive as you say, it has to be his doing. But why? What's his aim? This doesn't benefit him, at least in the short term.'

'He wants to destabilise the team.' Natasha's soft voice made him turn. 'Look at the backlash against Steve after the DoomBot attack. We wondered at the time what his purpose was in that. It was all to make the public lose confidence in Cap, and to make us lose faith in his leadership. If the team dynamic breaks down, he has a far better chance of beating us in future. He's playing the long game.'

'Well, that went well for him.' Tony's lips quirked in a wry smile as he surveyed the team. Clint stood with an arm around Steve, Thor and Bruce flanking them protectively on either side, and Natasha had a hand on Steve's shoulder, her eyes full of fierce affection. 'We're not going anywhere, Cap. We still believe in you. And so do the public. Just ask Twitter.'

Steve blinked back tears, too moved to speak, and Tony held his gaze for a long moment before looking away, back to Dr Strange. 'So, what now? Can you fix this?'

Strange was silent for a long moment, tracing strange glyphs in the air, watching them change and frowning at the results. At last, he looked up, his expression grim.

'If you wish to reverse what has been done to the Captain here, then you need to be ready to act.’ He crossed the room in a few steps, placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder. ‘It is a measure of your will alone that the effects are not yet permanent. The strength of the human soul is a force oft overlooked by those seeking to do evil, but even that strength may fade – with your permission we must act, and act quickly, or I suspect that we may have no chance to undo what has been done.’

He seemed more imposing now, the light of magic still in his eyes, and even out of his formal robes Tony could see the power in this man. Steve's eyes were wide but trusting as he nodded, and Tony took his hand, warmth flooding through him as Steve pulled him into the group.

'How do we fix this? We'll do it, whatever it takes.' Tony didn't even have to look at the rest of the team. If there was an answer, they would take it, whatever the cost.

'Give me a little time. Twenty minutes or so.' Strange was already reaching into his bag, removing folds of cloth and strange vials of powder. 'We need to move. Get into your armor, bring your weapons, whatever you need. We're going to Latveria.'

***

 

Strange had asked for twenty minutes. They were ready in twelve. Tony felt a fierce, burning pride as he looked at Steve, eyes frightened behind his mask but standing tall, his shield gripped just a little too tightly in his hand. The team stood around him, poised and combat ready. Tony kept the faceplate of the armor up, knowing that Steve needed to see the faces of his friends, now more than ever.

Strange was no longer the gentle, softly-spoken man who had walked into the tower little more than an hour ago. He was dressed now in flowing red and gold robes over a sky-blue tunic, a large eye-shaped pendant hanging around his neck. The floor of the workshop was covered in chalk markings, and a plume of smoke rose up from an incense censer in his hand. Tony heard the trundle of wheels on the floor behind him, and held out his hand without looking, stopping DUM-E in his tracks.

'DUM-E, if you try to extinguish that incense, you'll be shipped priority to the community college, no questions.'

Steve gave a startled laugh, and even Dr Strange smiled as the little robot rolled away, his camera held low in clear disappointment. Tony caught Steve's eye, giving him a reassuring wink, and Steve moved to stand beside him, clearly drawing strength from his presence.

'Are you ready, my friends?' Strange's voice was sober now, his eyes dark with purpose. 'If you are, step into the circle. I will transport us to our destination.'

'We are.' Tony took a deep breath. 'Avengers - assemble!' The team drew close together, stepping as one into the chalked circle, Steve protected at their center. Strange raised his hands, and green light flowed from his palms as the pendant around his neck glowed golden and a strange wind flowed around them. Tony flipped his faceplate down, closing it securely as Strange's voice rang out, filling the room with arcane overtones.

‘Eye of Agamotto guide us! Show us the truest way. Winds of Watoomb transport us!’

Tony watched as the graphic display in his armor attempted and failed to make sense of the energies starting to form.

‘Let nothing say us Nay. Raggadorr's Rings protect us, Perils and Dangers Allay!’

Clint raised his bow and Natasha widened her combat stance.

And they were there.

Nothing. No sense of movement, no nausea, no disorientation. Just there, in a huge marble hall with a wide staircase leading up. Massive statues of Doom stood at its foot in majestic poses, adorned with ceremonial swords and crowns.

Flames bathed them. Tony could feel the heat even though the armor. Its displays fed him the tactical data and cooling circuits clicked in one by one before he could move. Ionized plasma. 5000 degrees.

In a brief panic he looked round – Steve had covered Clint with his shield, leaving himself exposed. Natasha stood blinking but unharmed in the heat. 

From behind them, Strange’s voice was grim, ‘The Seven Rings of Raggadorr serve us well today.’

Tony started to breathe again. ‘Take out those weapons!’

In seconds the four concealed plasma emitters were down.  
‘Okay Avengers, I’m showing nothing more on sensors, but Doom’s trickier than Loki.’ Tony glanced at Thor, ‘No insult intended.’.

‘None taken my friend. I love my brother dearly, but I would tread carefully in his house.’

As well as the staircase, two magnificent double oaken doors stood in the walls of the room, fully twelve feet tall and bound in iron. His newly-optimised armour detected the faintest trace of the distinctive radiation from the magical device, but he looked to the Sorcerer Supreme for confirmation, ‘Up?’

Strange merely nodded. 

Natasha moved forward ‘I’ll scout the first part’. Testing each of the huge flagstones in turn, it nonetheless took her only moments to reach the steps. She looked contemptuously at Doom’s tributes to himself as she passed beneath the huge heads with their stone masks. She trod the steps carefully but swiftly, twice pausing before reaching their summit. ‘Pressure sensors on the third and seventeenth steps. And another of Ugly-Face’s self portraits at the top, but that’s all.’

The Hulk barged past, ‘About time. Hulk tired of waiting,’

Tony held up a hand, but it was too late. ‘Hulk, hold on… Oh damn. Okay, everyone, Hulk’s on point.’

Natasha’s voice rang loudly from above, ‘Hulk, look out!’

The gamma-irradiated giant barely had time to raise an arm as one of the statues noiselessly brought down its sword. The other swung wildly at the air and Tony saw Strange smashed across the room.

 

The noise made Tony’s ears ring as the Hulk screamed in pain. Pain? Blood impossibly ran down the great arm as the sword lifted for another blow. His visor darkened automatically as twin flash arrows exploded in the stone robot's eyes and it staggered back.

Natasha flew over the balcony, twisting wildly in the air. Beams of red lit all around her.

A combat analysis alarm beeped, and Tony looked up at the new opponent. Another stone construct, this one smaller than the first, its hands had fallen away to reveal the lenses of some type of energy weapon. Dual repulsors flashed and he took to the air. Butterflies in his stomach and fire in his blood. Fear and righteous fury.

Natasha landed behind him gracefully. Years of teamwork showed as she added her wrist-blaster fire to Clint’s arrows on the robot that Tony’s combat computer tagged as R#1. Dark eye shields had descended, and the robot barely seemed to notice the impact.

A massive blow from Tony’s left announced Thor’s entry to the fray, Mjölnir crashing into the armoured torso of the second huge ‘bot. Somehow it stayed on its feet and returned the blow, but Thor raised his great hammer, blocking its attack.

Red beams flashed from ‘R#3’ and the suit took evasive manuevres as Tony cued up the menu of weapon options: Graviton beam, Pulse beam, Sonic. And that old favourite…

‘Left knee knockdown!’ Without waiting for confirmation, Clint fired his newest arrow.

The next blow was a fierce uppercut from Thor, Mjölnir singing in his hand as his grin spread further. 'For friends and honor!' he cried, and his hair streamed behind him like a golden banner.

Tony looked over at Steve. He was holding his own, staying close to Tony but deflecting blows from the moving statues with his shield, giving Strange time to get to his feet.

'Okay?' Tony's voice was metallic and grating through the suit's speakers, but Steve turned towards it, trust in his eyes.

'Okay. Stay with me?'

'Always.' The emotion behind the word was lost in the electronic voice, but Steve smiled anyway before turning on his heel to block another attack from a heavy stone arm.

The arrow hit. Near frictionless nanoparticles slid into the jointline of the knee articulation. It buckled, and Natasha smashed into the lower leg.

An almost imperceptible rising scream filled Tony's ears as the Unibeam charged. His rearview micro-screen showed Strange groggily rising to his feet. The R1 screen showed that machine toppling as its leg was knocked completely from below it.

An incredible blow from the robots shield arm knocked Thor’s head back, and he staggered, dazed.

‘Let the Seven Suns of Cinnibus lend their might…’ Strange's voice rang out steady and clear, and the team rallied.

The first robot crashed to the floor as Hulk shook off his surprise. A vicious grin crossed his lips and both massive arms raised.

Thor regained his footing as a blinding light engulfed his foe's sword, vaporizing a full third of the mighty torso in a violent hiss.

The unibeam triggered and R#3 exploded.

Twin green fists smashed down, and the floor buckled as the head beneath disintegrated into scrap.

Grinning widely, Thor stepped forward towards the still battling machine and plunged Mjölnir deep into the exposed depths. It dropped like a stone.

Silence. Dust settled in the once splendid room and a tinny voice sounded in Tony’s ear. ‘Suit power seventeen percent.’

'Everyone okay?' Tony looked around at the team. It felt very odd, taking on the role of leader when Steve was standing beside him, but Steve was clearly fighting hard to keep his composure, hands shaking as he stood close to Tony. If Tony could take any pressure at all from him, he would.

The team responded with nods and an affirmative grunt from the Hulk. Steve managed a shaky smile, leaning into the touch as Thor rested a big hand on his shoulder.

'Let's press on.' Strange spoke quietly, but there was authority in his words. Tony nodded, beckoning the team behind him. His first lust for the fight spent, the Hulk stayed obediently behind him, responding to Natasha as she held out a hand to hold him back. Tony looked back at the team, ensuring that everyone was ready, and then raised his hand, blasting the door open.

'So. You worked it out at last.' Doom sat at a table, a glass of wine in front of him, his hand resting lightly on a machine identical to the one that had caught Steve in its beam. 'I was beginning to wonder whether you'd ever manage it.'

Beside Tony, Steve was tense, clearly fighting the urge to run. Tony took a step closer to him, comforting him with his presence. Strange stood at the back of the group, silently watching. Tony felt oddly grateful to him for that; this was the team's fight, and they would see it through.

'Oh, we got here in the end.' Tony kept his voice deliberately casual. 'Took a while to see past your shoddy workmanship.' He inclined his head towards the machine.

Doom laughed, the sound eerie behind his unmoving metal mask. 'Surely you know by now that the machine was never the point. The spell is the real work of genius.'

'A fear spell?' Tony scoffed. 'Been done before. Sorry, Doom, you're several centuries too late with that.'

Doom's eyes glittered with delighted malice. 'A fear spell? You think that's what it is? Oh, my dear Mr Stark, you have no idea of the delicacy of this magic. It only acted as a fear spell because of its subject. The rest of you would be quite differently affected.

'Enlighten me, then.' Tony folded his arms, dimly aware of Steve moving beside him. He injected a note of arrogance into his voice, working to keep Doom's attention focused on himself. 'What's this work of genius you're so proud of?'

'I may as well tell you. It's not as though you'll be in any state to do anything about it, very soon.' Doom's voice was filled with a vicious delight. 'The beauty of this spell is its specificity. It acts, not to instill a particular emotion, but to take away something that is already there. It removes, and reverses, the greatest strength of its subject, which in the good Captain was his bravery. For you, Mr Stark, I believe it would have been your intelligence. Your little archer would have lost his precision, his dexterity, and the young lady - ' he gave a mocking bow to Natasha - 'would have lost her uncanny ability to read and manipulate others, becoming a bumbling, socially inept fool. Your big God,' he spat the word, 'would have become entirely devoid of honor. Imagine how much fun that would be. And your man-monster - how would he have fared without his self-control?' He laughed, an ugly sound, echoing in the room. 'Well, we will find out. I have enough spells prepared for all of you. Move, and you will see their effects before you can blink.'

'Or perhaps we'll see how you fare without your intelligence, Doctor.' Steve's voice sounded, shaky but clear, from the other side of the room, and Tony turned in surprise. Steve had somehow found the courage to move closer to Doom whilst he was speaking, knowing that he would not be perceived as a threat. 'Or would it be your magic that you would lose? Perhaps both. I'm sure they're bound up together.' Steve had his hands on one of the machines, pointing it at Doom, and Tony had the satisfaction of seeing the man's eyes widen in alarm before he forced a laugh.

'Oh, my word, have you found a scrap of bravery? I must confess, Captain, I'm impressed. A lesser man would have lost his mind by now.'

Steve shook his head. 'You miscalculated, Doom. You thought my team would abandon me. Nothing could be further from the truth. You didn't count on their loyalty.' His eyes met Tony's for a brief moment. 'On their love.'

Tony was glad of the impassive mask of his suit as his eyes burned for a moment. He forced his attention back to Doom, and smiled. The man was squirming like a cornered rat.

'Give me a reason not to fire this on you now.' Steve was deathly white, but he held firm, the machine pointed squarely at Doom's face.

'The Captain of America opening fire on the King of Latveria, in the King's own castle, where he has come uninvited?' Doom spat the words. 'That would be tantamount to an act of war. You know enough of war, Captain, I think, not to wish to invite another.'

'It seems, then, that we have reached an impasse.' Strange spoke quietly from the back of the group. 'Perhaps this is a point where a deal could be made. Nobody will win this day, but perhaps the harm to each party can be minimised.'

The Hulk rumbled angrily at his words, but stilled at a touch of Natasha's hand on his big arm. Tony understood his sentiment. In his heart, he wanted to end Doom for the suffering he had caused Steve, but he knew that the man, evil as he was, had a point. They could not risk starting a diplomatic incident. Getting Steve cured and getting them all home safely had to be their priority now.

'Dr Doom, I believe we have you at something of a disadvantage.' Strange went on, his voice level. 'I'm quite sure you don't wish to become a victim of your own invention. I believe the Captain will not hesitate to neutralize you if it is necessary. However,' he glanced at Tony, who nodded, willing to let him negotiate this, 'if you will reverse the spell, I will put a binding glyph on the remaining machines. Nobody, including you, will be able to bypass that or create the spell anew without the direst of consequences. We will return home, and we will consider the matter closed.'

Doom sighed, looking around at the team assembled around him. 'It seems I have little option but to comply. Ah, well. It was fun while it lasted.'

Tony tensed with anger, hearing Steve's suffering made light of, but he forced himself to remain still. He turned to Strange, fighting to keep his voice level. 'You're going to let him cast on Steve? After everything he's done?'

'Fear not.' Strange's tone was grim. 'I shall watch him at every step. He knows the consequences if he puts a foot wrong.' He raised his hands, and a circle of pale light sprang up around Doom. Strange raised an eyebrow at him. 'Begin.'

With a resigned expression, Doom began to chant softly, weaving complicated shapes with his hands. Tony watched him intently, ready to strike, but as the spell reached its climax, a cloud of yellow light rose up from Steve's body and dissipated into the ether. Steve sagged for a moment, and then straightened, his eyes full of relief and his jaw set. Tony caught his eye, and Steve nodded slightly.

'It's done.' Steve's voice was firm now, a tone of utter relief behind his words. 'I'm okay.'

Strange made a brief, complicated motion in the air, and the machines fell to pieces around the room in short flashes of light. He raised an eyebrow at Doom. 'Are we done?'

Doom gave a short nod. 'It appears so. Now get out.'

Strange looked at Tony, who caught himself in a nod, and then stopped and looked at Steve. 'Your team, Cap. Your call.'

Steve smiled. 'Let's go home.' He swung around, pointing a finger at Doom. 'I will not forget this. Mark my words. You come to my city again, and I will make you wish you'd never heard of America.'

Doom gave him an ironic salute, and Steve looked away in disgust. He nodded at Strange, who raised his hands, chanting, and in a swirl of motion they were back in the workshop.

Tony took a step towards Steve, but before he could move, Steve had wrapped him in his arms, holding him close, Tony's back pressed against the wall of the workshop. In his peripheral vision, Tony saw the rest of the team leave quietly. Bruce, now back to himself and wrapped in Thor's cloak, gave Tony a wink and a tired grin as he passed, and then they were gone. He looked up at Steve, drawing a breath, but before he could speak Steve's lips were on his, desperate and hot. Tony held on to him, opening his mouth to return the kiss, his fingers curled tightly in Steve's hair, his cowl pulled down.

'You have no idea how long I've been wanting the courage to do that.' Steve's voice was breathless, and Tony laughed, startled.

'You don't need courage for this. God, I've wanted this since I set eyes on you.'

Steve kissed him again in response, lips wet, pressed hard against his own. Tony pulled him close, laughing against his mouth. 'I really need to get out of this armor. I can't feel you.'

Steve pulled back with an effort, breathing hard. 'Let's save this for later. I want to see the others. They've been amazing, you all have. But - later...'

Tony grinned. 'I see no reason to change our sleeping arrangements. I've gotten rather used to waking up with you.'

'You'd better stay used to it. You think I'm going anywhere, you are very much mistaken.'

Tony grinned as Steve made for the stairs, following close behind him. The last few weeks had been a nightmare for all of them. But maybe, just maybe - it had been worth it.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[ART] When The Sky Was Falling](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063028) by [sorellaerba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorellaerba/pseuds/sorellaerba)




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